


Hope Flies on Wind-bent Wings

by Blaizekit



Series: Windmill [3]
Category: Naruto
Genre: Additional Warnings In Author's Note, Alternate Timelines, Alternate Universe - Time Travel, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Angst with a Happy Ending, Background Character Death, Canon-Typical Violence, Canonical Character Death, Crushes, Developing Friendships, Dimension Travel, Eye Trauma, Family Feels, Gen, Good Akatsuki (Naruto), Good Uchiha Obito, Identity Swap, Implied/Referenced Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Implied/Referenced Torture, Kakashi Gaiden, Kid Hatake Kakashi, Medical Inaccuracies, Morally Ambiguous Character, Mostly Gen, Multiple Selves, Nohara Rin Lives, Not Canon Compliant, Personal Canon, Side Story, Third Shinobi War, Timeline Shenanigans, Uchiha Obito Lives, Universe Alteration, Villain PoV, Weird Plot Shit, Wordcount: Under 100.000, can be read as platonic or romantic, mild whump, take your pick idc
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-10
Updated: 2021-02-10
Packaged: 2021-03-06 23:41:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 20
Words: 72,285
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26407420
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Blaizekit/pseuds/Blaizekit
Summary: The Third Shinobi World War is winding down. With the Sanbi out of play, victory seems like a foregone conclusion. But the Mist isn’t going down without a fight, and the future is no longer predictable. When an unforeseen disaster leaves the Book of Seals missing, Obito will do whatever it takes to find and get it back–even if it means bringing Rin and Kakashi into his secrets. Even if it means letting Tobi take his place at home.
Relationships: Hatake Kakashi & Nohara Rin & Uchiha Obito, Namikaze Minato & Team Minato, Uchiha Obito & Tobi (Naruto), Uchiha Obito & Uzumaki Naruto
Series: Windmill [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/575578
Comments: 243
Kudos: 82





	1. when we were all together

**Author's Note:**

> _This fic is a direct sequel to the previous two._ It has a standalone plot, but relies heavily on worldbuilding from the previous entries.
> 
> General disclaimer that all these fics are based on Naruto pre-700 manga canon. Some anime-only, novelization, or post-700 things _may_ be in it, but many/most things will not. This story in particular has taken liberties with the spotty Third War timeline.
> 
> *Additional warnings provided on request! Don't hesitate to ask, or to message me if you want to know if (insert content here) is in the story or to what extent.
> 
>  **This story contains:** canon-typical combat violence and mild language; body horror; injuries and medical inaccuracies; referenced torture; burns/branding; canon-typical creep factors such as weird body stuff, weird (and highly unrealistic) eyeball stuff, and child soldiers in a wartime setting. The war is not the main focus of the story after the first act because I didn't want to. Therefore, the story has some plot contrivances and follows character development more than events. It is mostly gen aside from some obvious crushes, and remains age-appropriate for the characters, very much G rated.
> 
>  **This story does NOT contain:** Sexual content; character bashing; f-bombs; or explicit depictions of Danzo (but some implied Danzo).

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I didn't think I'd continue the series this year. To be honest, I wrote this because trying to write was like turning a rusty faucet over and over, and this is the only thing that would come out! Times have been tough. So, here is a side story about Obito. It will be somewhere between 50-100k. I hope you can forgive me for any errors, as I spent less time planning this than usual :'D but of course I had to make a [playlist](https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4wNL97tIlnnXEs1bVDSuWx?si=HhjdJmzfSDmv8L-s5Gr_7w) for it like the others too. :'D
> 
> Cover art is by [i-drive-a-nii-san](https://i-drive-a-nii-san.tumblr.com/) on Tumblr! Thanks very much! I loved the one they did for TWTBW, but they did a super-amazing-beautiful job with this one. It's full of references specific to this story. It floored me. <3

* * *

Obito woke clawing at his throat. He couldn’t breathe.

He sat up gasping, saw the dim, familiar lines of his bedroom and realized he _wasn’t_ suffocating at all. His shirt had gotten bunched up underneath his arms. Embarrassed, he pushed it back down.

Obito breathed, staring into the dark, and waited for his heart to slow down.

Just another bad dream.

Lately, they came far less frequently, and didn’t leave him feeling like a zombie the rest of the day. But touching the Sanbi, being awash in its angry energy, and seeing its host die had certainly left an impression.

It had to be close to morning. There was no point going back to sleep now.

Obito sighed and sat up onto his knees to nudge his window open. The cool night air and the fresh smell of outside caressed his face, and he drank in a deep breath of it. The scorching summer was finally over, and the nights were becoming chilly again. The morning smelled like autumn.

It was almost a year since he’d fallen into a river bordering the Land of Lightning and woke up in another timeline. Four months since he’d witnessed the assassination of a jinchuuriki and the near-death of his closest friends. Since they had lost to Orochimaru.

Naruto still insisted on calling it a draw.

Obito sat at the window for a while with his chin resting on crossed arms, mind blank, enjoying the fresh air. But he pushed himself up when he noticed the sky was getting lighter. He twisted to look at the clock at his desk. Nearly seven.

So much for sleeping in on one of his last days off.

Obito turned back to close his window, but he jumped and flailed in a single motion when he was faced with a hooded figure crouched on his windowsill.

His back hit the floor and he pulled himself up, heart in his throat.

“Yo, Obito!” Naruto pushed back his hood and grinned like a fool. Which he was. Currently. And most other times, as well.

“What the hell are you _doing?_ ” Obito hissed and pulled Naruto down so hastily that they both rolled backward, but Naruto quickly bounced back onto his feet with a grace that proved his Frog Kumite lessons were still going well. He stepped nimbly out of reach as Obito took a swing at him.

“Hey, calm down! Don’t worry about it! I’ve got a disguise.” Naruto pointed at his bare head.

“You call wearing a hood a disguise? When you have _actual_ disguise seals from Kushina-san? And the ability to Henge?”

“—And I’m not really here right now, anyway.”

Obito gave up his attack and sat heavily on his bed with a sigh. Talking to Naruto’s bunshin was always weird. “What are you doing here? There’s no way they let you go outside with Fugaku’s squad still on watch.”

“Yeah, that’s what I’m saying. _I’m not here_.” He frowned, then added, “I’m a bunshin.”

“I figured that out. That’s not what I mean.” Obito shook his head and stood up. “What’s wrong? Do you want to go home?”

“No! Just—kaa-chan is making a big breakfast. You should come join us.”

Obito gave a lopsided smile.“That’s what you snuck out for? Thanks, but I go over there all the time. The whole point is for you to spend some time with them.”

The bunshin strode toward him earnestly, whisker marks stretched from his grin. “We have! And it’s great. But there’s something you gotta see. C’mon!”

“Hey!” Obito called out as the bunshin pulled on his arm and made for the window. “What’re you—can’t we go through the door—”

“Come on, when’s the last time _you_ used a door?” the bunshin scoffed.

“Wait! At least let me put on shoes!”

The bunshin let go of him and hopped back into the window. It waved, said “See you there!” and turned into a plume of vapor that quickly dissipated.

Obito looked around his room and grabbed the cleanest change of clothes he could find.

It didn’t take long to get ready, but when he looked out the window again, the sun’s early rays were already bringing out the clear blue of the sky.

Obito stretched and yawned. Better get going before Hinako came by to open the shop, or he could be stuck chatting for a while. He threw his bedcovers over into some semblance of tidiness, checked over the room once more, then made his exit through the nearest wall.

* * *

Obito arrived at the Uzumaki household moments later. He took a breath and knocked on the door.

Minato answered, giving an easy smile at Obito when he opened the door. He always looked like a different person when his family was together.

“This is a surprise. Please come in. We’re having breakfast, but you’re welcome to join us.”

“Is that Obito?” He heard Kushina exclaim from the kitchen. “Why didn’t he come say hello yesterday?”

“Sorry, I was tired,” Obito said sheepishly as he walked in.

“Oh, hey, Obito!” Naruto called from the table, as if just noticing he was there. Obito suppressed the urge to laugh.

As soon as he sat down at the breakfast table, Kushina looped him into a one-armed hug, a steaming platter of scrambled eggs balanced in her other hand.

“I heard you helped them save the Nibi. I wish you had more time off.”

“It’ll be okay. They’re doing most of the work—I was just there to transport people.”

Naruto reached for the plate, but Kushina lifted it away from him and let go of Obito.

“How _is_ the mission going? I hope Jiraiya-sama is staying on task.” Kushina placed the platter on the table. She sat down beside Minato. Minato’s eyes crinkled with amusement at Naruto before he turned his attention back to the newspaper in his hands.

“It’s going great!” Naruto happily dug in after piling up his own plate. He spluttered between mouthfuls of egg, “Ee already fawnd—”

“Don’t talk with your mouth full. And don’t inhale your food,” Kushina said fondly, reaching to pick something off his cheek.

Naruto finished chewing and tried again. “We’ve already found two of the jinchuuriki! Tsunade baa-chan is still trying to convince the other leaders to be careful with Akatsuki. Some of ‘em don’t want to listen, but…”

“Why _didn’t_ Kabuto come with us, anyway?” Obito asked. “He wouldn’t have been in danger, right? Jiraiya-sama was supposed to distract Akatsuki without facing them directly.”

“We’ve been away from the village for a while. I haven’t talked to Kabuto since we left. But his training is going great! Hey, you know something? I don’t think he sleeps.” Naruto shoved a whole piece of toast in his mouth, and barely remembered to chew it all before continuing. “Sakura-chan told me he’s always there when she shows up for training. And he never complains, no matter how brutal baa-chan gets.”

Obito shook his head. “I’ve seen him sleep before. The plant body didn’t stop us from sleeping, either.”

“I know _that_ , but I think he can choose not to if he wants. I remember when it was me, I lost my appetite after a while.”

“That’s why he’s making up for it now,” Minato quipped from behind his paper. Kushina snort-laughed.

“Anyway, you could visit Kabuto without us if you wanted. Baa-chan knows you now, so it’s not like she’s gonna arrest you just because I’m not in the village.”

Obito raised a skeptical brow. His relationship with the Godaime Hokage was awkward at best. “I don’t know about that, but you’re right. Me and him should come see you and Jiraiya-sama on the road sometime.” He drummed his fingers on the table. “So?”

“So what?” Naruto said.

“You said ‘there’s something you gotta see’ and made—er, told me to come here first thing in the morning.”

“Oh!” Naruto hit his hands on the table hard enough to make the dishes rattle. “Tou-chan—”

“ _You break it, you buy it,_ ” Kushina warned, brandishing a wooden spoon.

“Sorry!” Naruto yelped, quickly hiding his hands under the table. “Tou-chan, I know it’s not going to be official for a while, but I wanted to tell Obito about the team!”

The newspaper folded in half, and Minato shook his head, looking mildly exasperated. “I wondered how long it would take you to say that.”

“What’s going on?” Obito looked from Minato to Naruto.

“Go ahead.” Minato prompted.

“Check this out.” Naruto’s bag was hanging open on the back of his chair. He reached into it and handed Obito a folded piece of cloth.

It was a plain-looking armband, black except for the single katakana ‘ _to’_ printed on it in white.

“For our team!” Naruto explained. “When tou-chan becomes Hokage, he’ll make it an official secret squad under his command only. That way, we can meet up whenever we want without having to explain it! Maybe we can even have masks like the ANBU!”

“Don’t get too excited yet,” Minato said. “My nomination won’t be official until after the war is over. First, we have to win.”

Kushina scoffed. “We have won. Stop trying to be humble, Minato. You’re ruining the moment.”

Minato smiled. “It’s not only a cover for Naruto. You three have experience with something we know almost nothing about. I thought there should be a team who can handle missions that span across dimensions, like Naruto and Jiraiya-sensei are doing now. I know the Rokudaime doesn’t agree, but I have my own way of doing things.”

Obito grinned at the subtle jab toward Kakashi. “That sounds awesome! Does that mean we’ll be able to investigate stuff we know about here, too?”

“I hope so. And I hope we can find out more about how the different dimensions work.”

“We should come up with codenames for ourselves!” Naruto said to Obito in a rush. “Something mysterious, and intimidating—secret-squad like. I was thinking _Beast_ for me, because of Kurama.”

“There will be time to think of that later.” Minato glanced aside at Kushina, who shook her head amusedly.

Obito drummed his fingers on the table some more. “Plus, we need to come up with another way to get back to Naruto’s timeline, ‘cause right now, one of us always has to be there, or I’ll lose it.”

“Are you sure you can’t use one of my daggers again?” Minato asked.

Obito shook his head slowly. “Only if you’re over there. I can use an object on my end, like the Book, but it has to lead to a living person on the other side. I don’t know, it doesn’t seem like a strong enough link otherwise. That’s the best I can do right now.”

Kushina nodded. “That’s alright. In all seriousness, we still have a long way to go before everything is back to normal.”

“Yes,” Minato said. “Obito, don’t forget we have a meeting later today. Everything is going well out there right now, but it’s possible we’ll all be sent out next. Or maybe it will just be me, and you three will continue with other missions. I should have a clear idea of our next steps after I speak with the Sandaime.”

The war drifted into the room like a cold draft. Naruto picked at his food for a moment before pushing the plate away from him.

“Guess I gotta go home soon,” he said.

“You’ll be back.” Kushina reached across the table and held his hand. “You’re teaching me how to get along better with Kurama, right? And I’m sure Isobu will start talking to Minato soon.”

Naruto paused with his head tilted to one side, the way he often looked when he was listening to the beast inside him. He laughed.

Minato’s face softened. He looked a little bit sad. “We’ll get this done quickly, so you can come back. So everyone can come back. It’s been going on long enough.”

Naruto gently withdrew his hand from Kushina’s and pushed his chair back to stand. “Thanks… for everything. These times with you guys have been…” His voice cracked and his face scrunched up.

“This isn’t goodbye.” Obito stood beside him. “We’ll make it through. You just keep working on saving the bijuu, and I’ll be there to help out again as soon as I can. You have somewhere to hide them until I get back, don’t you?”

Naruto nodded and sniffled. Kushina got up from the table and walked around to capture them both in a hug. Minato came around and did the same, resting his cheek on top of Kushina’s head.

Obito felt himself go deeply red after getting pulled into the embrace. Being around them often ended like this, caught in the feeling of having a real family. He was never completely sure how to respond to it.

Obito stepped backward through them, making them all turn to look. He put the armband in his pocket. “So, are you ready?”

“Yeah,” Naruto said in a muffled voice. He let go of his parents and threw his bag over one shoulder.

“I’m heading out, too.” Minato kissed Kushina softly on the forehead. “Thank you.”

“Don’t forget to keep us non-Hokage-candidates in the loop. Today’s reports should already be in, right?”

“Of course.” Minato’s eyes crinkled.

“Come on.” Obito touched Naruto’s arm. He was still watching his parents with liquid-bright eyes.

* * *

The kamui dimension was quiet as usual. Tobi was laying on the built-in cot in his cell, back facing them. He didn’t bother to move when they appeared, and they ignored him in turn.

“Just drop me back at the meeting spot,” Naruto said, shifting his bag.

Obito wanted to say something to comfort him, but he felt too tongue-tied. What encouragement could he possibly give?

“We’ll be alright,” he said falteringly. “All of us.”

“I know.” Naruto turned his over-bright eyes on him. “But call us if you ever need help. I don’t care what’s going on, or what Ero-sennin says. I can use a disguise seal if I have to. I know Kabuto wouldn’t mind, either. No matter what, we can be there.”

Obito nodded, placing a fist over his chest. “I will. But we can make it. They did it back in your time, when everything was worse. And our team has gotten better. Even Kakashi is cooperating more.”

“What’s going to happen? Are you guys going to the front after today?”

“I… don’t know. You heard what Minato-sensei said. I think he’ll have to go, but the Sandaime might keep the rest of us on missions away from the main fighting. That’s what we’ve done up ‘till now. Either way, the Third War is good as over.”

Naruto frowned thoughtfully for a moment. He reached under the collar of his jacket and pulled up a green stone pendant attached to a worn-looking leather string.

“Here.” He pulled the necklace up over his head and held it out. “Maybe this could help you, too.”

“Why? What is it?” Obito held the stone in his palm. It felt warm to the touch, like it had been out in the sun. “I don’t think I could use this to find you. It has some kind of energy in it, but it doesn’t feel like yours.”

“It’s not mine. It belonged to the Shodai Hokage.”

“Huh?”

“Tsunade-baachan gave this to me before we brought her back to the village. I don’t know every detail, but something went wrong with the Sannin during the war. Baachan lost people.”

“I heard about what happened to her brother,” Obito said, slightly confused.

Naruto nodded. “When we first met, she told me it was cursed. But she changed her mind. And when I went to the future, it helped me a few times. Something about it… it’s connected to the world in a way that’s beyond the lines. Like the Sanbi was when everyone crossed over.” He winced. “Kurama says I’m an idiot. But I trust him now, so I don’t need this to help hold back his power.”

“Are—you sure? This seems like something important. And I have no idea how to use it.” Obito examined the stone more closely.

“Just keep it with you.” Naruto pointed at the stone. “But you have to give it back when the war’s over. So you guys better win, or Baa-chan is going to kill me for losing it.”

“Okay.” Obito grinned. He looped the necklace over his head. He waited a moment, but nothing seemed different. Now that he wasn’t holding the stone, it seemed as dead as any other rock. Whatever power it held, it didn’t seem to work for him.

“Alright. I better get back before Ero-sennin starts counting. Otherwise we’ll end up traveling by toad.” Naruto pulled a face.

“One drop-off, coming up.” Obito shifted the surface under Naruto’s feet, and he fell through. They’d used that move so often over the past few months that it was nearly instantaneous.

Obito put his hand over the stone. It seemed dormant with Naruto gone, but the idea of it still left him with a warm feeling in his chest. He was trusted enough to keep something so valuable. And even if its power didn’t work, it was a wish that they could come back again.

At least Minato would have news about the war soon. Whatever happened, the waiting would be over.

Obito looked up when he realized Tobi was now sitting up, watching him.

His grin faded. “What are you looking at?”

“That’s what I’d like to know. I suggest getting rid of that, unless you have a death wish.”

“Why? Do you believe in the ‘curse’?” Obito rolled his eyes.

“Curse or no curse, it may not be the healthiest thing for someone of our bloodline to wear.”

“Hey, I was one of those _things_ for a while.” Obito pointed at the tree growing out of the concrete. “You’ve lived with half your body like that. It’ll be fine.”

“Are you _trying_ to get Madara to notice you?”

Obito paused. He hadn’t thought about Madara in a while. “The front is far away from where he is. If he’s still alive after all this is over, we’ll deal with him then.”

Tobi gave a disbelieving snort. “If you’re going to get yourself killed, do me a favor and let me out of this dimension first. I don’t want to find out how long I can survive in here.”

“I could have Kabuto make a poison for you to keep in your cell. Would that make you feel better?”

Tobi narrowed his singular stolen eye.

Obito looked away. “Madara is a problem, but we have to deal with one thing at a time. I gotta go. See you.”

That was how they always talked. They took swipes at each other until something cut.

Tobi usually won. But even when he did get the last word, Obito never liked the way it felt.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> if you are here, thank you :D
> 
> It may be a good time to mention, (if it's not totally obvious by the story premise/description), the scenario this story is based on is by definition 'unrealistic' or 'a bad idea'. To be real with you, I just wanted identity swapping shenanigans and lots of cameo-no-jutsu, so please don't go into this expecting flawless plausibility. I figure most people who've made it this far in this ridiculous series sort of know that, but just in case.
> 
> the next chapter, 'tempest in the form of a man', will post next weekend-ish. Have a good day!


	2. tempest in the form of a man

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Posted 10/15/20]
> 
> I reached my editing goal for this week (in terms of staying x amount of chapters ahead of updates), so I am updating today :D

After Obito went back home, he planned on getting ready for the team meeting early. He lay down to rest a little while before it was time to go—or so he thought.

He accidentally fell back asleep. By the time he woke up, he was already running late.

Obito rolled over and cursed aloud when he saw the time. He quickly scrambled up to change from casual wear into his gear and hitai-ate.

Being promoted hadn’t changed much about his working outfit, except now he usually left his goggles behind. Fugaku had called them ‘a ridiculous accessory for a Sharingan user’ and banned the use of them during training sessions. Now they hung from the edge of his bookshelf, gradually forgotten over the span of months.

Obito realized he hadn’t actually eaten breakfast at Minato and Kushina’s house, so he spared a moment to shovel down some dried meat and fruits from his travel pack.

He had just crumpled up the empty cellophane bag when he heard a knock on his door.

“Obito-chan?”

“Oh, come in, Hina-baa,” Obito called. He threw the package in the trash and wiped off his hands.

Uchiha Hinako, the landlady and proprietress of the shop below, opened the front door. She had a spark of mischief in her eyes.

“I see you’re running late again. Rin-chan came all this way to fetch you. Should I send her up?”

“Sorry, I lost track of time.” Obito cursed mentally. He rushed into the living room to grab his bag.

“You can come up if you want, dear,” he heard Hinako call down the stairs. “How have you been? I heard you applied to join the Medical Corps?”

“Yes.” Rin appeared in the doorway beside Hinako. She gave a sheepish shrug. “I don’t know if I’m qualified yet, but if we’re going to have separate assignments for the upcoming battle, then that’s where I want to be.”

“But surely you don’t need to apply if it’s for a temporary assignment? Wouldn’t the Sandaime place you there in that case?”

Rin nodded. “More than that, I want to help them rebuild after the war. Our team is already mostly jounin, so we’ll each have our own specialties to build on. I want to go for medical tokubetsu jounin once the fighting is over. That way, I can teach new recruits and strengthen our resources.”

“That’s wonderful,” Hinako said warmly. “With that sort of ambition, I’m certain you can achieve anything you want. Last I checked, Bitty-chan still doesn’t have a formal job yet.”

“Not for much longer,” Obito said, thinking of Minato’s plan to create a new squad.

Hinako’s wrinkled brow rose. “Oh, really? Please do tell.”

Obito grinned. “It’s a secret. If I tell you, everyone in the village will know.”

“No matter. Finding it out will be a fun exercise for me. Give me something to do.”

“I haven’t heard about it, either.” Rin tilted her head to one side. “Did Fugaku-sama recruit you, after all?”

Obito scoffed. “No way. I spend most of my life with the Uchiha. I don’t want to work with them, too. But I’ll tell you guys about it as soon as I can. Everything’s kind of on hold right now because of the war.”

“Oh, right! We should get going.” Rin bowed her head at Hinako. “Sorry to leave so suddenly, but our team is waiting.”

“Not at all, dear. I’m sure Bitty-chan will take the blame.”

“Yeah, whether I want to or not,” Obito muttered. “See you later, Hina-baa.”

Hinako’s brows somehow rose even higher. She seemed intrigued, but let them go without any further comment.

“So, Bitty-chan?” Rin asked as they stepped out into the street, laughter in her voice.

Obito shrugged. “She does that when she’s trying to tease me. But as long as she never uses it in front of the Clan Head, I don’t mind.”

“The elders in the District like you, don’t they? I’m glad Hina-baa’s been there to look after you all this time.”

“Yeah. I’ve been lucky.”

In the past, Obito might have said he didn’t need looking after. That he could take care of himself. But he’d gained some appreciation for his life after finding out he’d lost it all in another time. Having Tobi around as a constant reminder didn’t hurt, either.

“Kakashi and Minato-sensei are already at the training field.” Rin gestured down the street. “We should jump there so they don’t have to wait any more.”

“Oh.” Obito rubbed the back of his head. “You’re right. I’m still not used to using kamui out in the open.”

Rin offered her hand. Obito reached out, but paused halfway.

“Obito?”

Obito gently closed his hand over the bangle on Rin’s wrist. “Get ready.”

Obito stepped into the space between. He stretched out the gap between the dimensions as he pulled them through, moving just under the surface of the world.

He could already hover in the between-space for three full minutes before he was forced to solidify once again. It was a skill that, according to Tobi, he’d be able to extend up to five minutes eventually.

It was useful for traveling without having to go all the way into the kamui dimension. Rin and Kakashi knew about his abilities, but they knew nothing about Tobi.

It was better that way. If they went into kamui, he would have to explain why he’d imprisoned a version of himself from another dimension.

They landed at the designated training field, a simple spot made of packed dirt and portioned off with thick wooden posts hammered into the ground. Kakashi was sitting on one. Minato stood nearby.

“Sorry I’m late, I…” Obito trailed off when Minato turned around.

His demeanor had completely changed from a few hours earlier. Instead of the bright warmth of a family man, his face was a storm cloud of sadness and anger.

“What’s going on?” Rin asked in a small voice. Kakashi hopped down from his post and joined them.

“The Sannin returned early this morning.” Minato looked at each of them in turn. “The units sent to find a way around the front line were discovered. They tried to retreat, but only the Sannin survived. It seems Kiri is no longer taking prisoners. It is payback for destroying their prison.”

Rin covered her mouth. Obito’s heart suddenly started beating fast. He could feel his pulse at his fingertips. He couldn’t tell if Minato was allowing the Sanbi’s energy to leak out, or if he was only remembering how it felt. Rin and Kakashi looked similarly subdued. They were among the few who knew about the Sanbi. Could they feel it, too?

Minato went on in a flat, quiet tone. “Dan-san was among the casualties. The Sannin tried to provide backup for everyone, but the situation turned deadly too quickly for them to help. The units were spread too far apart. Tsunade-sama and the others have been withdrawn from the fight until further notice.”

“Which means you have to go,” Kakashi said. Even he sounded uncertain.

“Yes. As soon as possible. It’s very likely you three will follow. The first wave will be a smaller, faster group, consisting of myself and thirty to forty others. The Sandaime will send the main force behind us. We’re heading directly for the Hidden Village itself.”

A heavy silence descended over them. This was the very thing they’d spent so much time preparing for. But a line had been drawn. Now it was real.

“If you’re leaving now… what about Kushina-san?” Obito asked hesitantly. She’d been given more missions recently. But this was a change.

Minato’s expression cleared a little. “She will be part of a third, final wave, if it’s deemed necessary. Sandaime-sama does not want to leave the village under defended. If it gets to that point…”

“It won’t,” Kakashi said. He looked across at his teammates, and they nodded.

“Thank you all.” Minato gave the barest of smiles.

Rin looked at Kakashi, then cast her gaze to the ground. “Has it been decided if our team will be split up when we get there?”

“Not yet. For the sake of getting everyone out quickly, they may keep you together. But if we in the first group strike hard and fast, you all may not have to fight.”

“And the Sannin?” Rin asked. “What about Tsunade-sama?”

Minato closed his eyes briefly. “She refuses to see or talk to anyone. But everything must go on. The Medical Corps will be directed by someone else for a while.” He looked back at them. “Go home and wait. It will take some time for them to prepare the assignments, but be ready to leave at a moment’s notice. Much of what we’re going to do has been decided already. It’s just sooner than planned.”

“Understood,” Kakashi said.

Minato disappeared. No doubt he had more people to see before it was time to leave. Obito wondered if he had told Kushina yet.

Rin visibly slumped. “Tsunade-sama has saved so many people with the changes she and Dan-san made. What’s going to happen now?”

Obito walked to stand in front of her. “The Medical Corps will be okay, as long as there’s people like you to carry it on. And I know Tsunade-sama will be okay, too. Maybe I can find out what happens to her, or some way to help.”

Rin gave him a puzzled look, but Kakashi snorted.

“You mean you can ask Naruto or someone else on the other side?”

“Oi! Keep your voice down,” Obito hissed, looking around.

Kakashi shrugged. “If your time-traveling was actually useful, we would have known how to prevent this in the first place.”

Kakashi was right, and it stung perhaps even more than he meant for it to. Obito grit his teeth. How many had died because he hadn’t known what was coming?

“Both of you, stop it,” Rin said flatly. “Just stop it.”

Obito and Kakashi fell silent.

“I’m going to the Medical Corps to find out what’s going on there,” Rin said.

Obito could tell Kakashi wanted to say something about Minato ordering them to go directly home. But even he seemed to realize it wasn’t the time.

With that, Rin turned and walked away, leaving them standing in the training field somewhat awkwardly.

Kakashi sighed and scratched the side of his head. “We have to make do with the situation we’ve got. Just stay home and await further orders.”

“You can’t tell me what to do!”

“Fine,” Kakashi said impatiently. “If you want to do something that has even the smallest chance of being useful, you can ask if Fugaku-sama knows anything.”

Obito made a face. “I’d rather stay at home.”

“Whatever.” Kakashi crossed his arms behind his head as he walked away. “Just don’t take any dimensional detours. We need to be able to find you.”

As much as Obito hated to admit it, Kakashi had a point. But that wouldn’t stop him from paying a quick visit to Tobi on his way back home.

* * *

“Why didn’t you tell me about this?” Obito concluded his outburst after he told Tobi everything about what happened. He was pacing.

“Only some of this matches what I remember from the war. This isn’t the way it happened in my time,” Tobi said. “But I remember hearing about Dan dying and Tsunade abandoning the village.”

“Then why didn’t you—”

“I can’t list every bad thing that happened because of the war, or we would be here all day. Besides, Naruto told you about it this morning. How can you blame me, when you were both too simpleminded to understand what the other person was saying?”

“He said Tsunade lost _people._ Not just one person,” Obito realized aloud.

“It’s a bit late for stating the obvious. He must have assumed it already happened. You assumed there was only one.”

Obito hesitated. “But this happened before, and it eventually worked out.”

“There do seem to be similarities. In my time, Kiri overreached, not us. We cut them off, they tried using the Sanbi, and the rest is history. This time, we were cut off, now we’re using it.”

“No, we’re not.” Obito crossed his arms. “Minato-sensei hasn’t learned how to use it safely. He’s going to fight like he usually does.”

“Lucky for them,” Tobi said idly. “I can think of few things more terrifying than him wielding the power of two bijuu at once.”

Before Minato sealed it, the Sanbi had merged with the version of itself from Naruto’s time. Minato had trapped both versions of it within himself. Ever since, he’d been unable to access its power. He said the two versions were at constant war with one another.

But even if he couldn’t use it consciously, there were times when that power made the air around him sting, crackling like the atmosphere before a lightning strike.

Obito shivered. It wasn’t just that the Sanbi frightened him. He’d seen what it looked like when a jinchuuriki could not control their bijuu. He didn’t want anyone to suffer that way, least of all the people he cared about most.

“I’m going to wait at home so I don’t miss anything,” Obito said. “We’ll worry about the Sannin later. We need to focus on the war right now.”

“Assuming Orochimaru doesn’t come back to absorb another version of himself. He has the power to go anywhere he wants now,” Tobi pointed out.

“Ugh. Don’t remind me.” Obito glanced at the tree growing outside camp. “Have you figured out what that thing is?”

The tree had once been Orochimaru, who had taken a plant cell body. Transformed by Kurama’s energy, Orochimaru had no choice but to abandon that body for another. The husk left behind looked permanently burned. It had inky-black bark and thin, crooked limbs. But no matter what Obito did to it—every time he cut or burned it down, it always grew back the next day.

“I don’t know for sure,” Tobi said. “But Orochimaru took over Zetsu, who contained a portion of Madara’s will. I imagine if Madara’s will was left behind, it would look something like that.” He rested a hand on his chest and frowned. “Whatever it is, it’s an abomination.”

“Like you’re one to talk.” Obito sighed. There were so many things to worry about, there would be no end to it if he let himself go down that road. “Once we win, Minato-sensei will make us an official team to look into that sort of thing. Right now, it’s better to stay focused. I’ll let you know when we’re being sent out.”

“Helpful,” Tobi said dryly. “Before you go, you can bring me a crossword.”

* * *

Obito landed in front of Hinako’s shop and opened the door. He heard bells chime from within and saw Hinako herself emerge from the back.

“Oh, back already? I thought you’d be gone for a day of training.”

“You haven’t heard?”

Hinako observed his expression and became serious. “It’s finally time for you to go, isn’t it?”

Obito nodded. “The news will get out soon, but we lost almost everyone who went behind the lines. Dan-san was one of the ones killed, so now Tsunade-sama is out of the fight. Everyone still out there is probably way further back. The Sandaime is sending Minato-sensei and some others first, then everyone else.”

It was hard to wrap his mind around. Up until now, their team had run missions for the war without joining the actual fighting on the ground. Those missions were always important, but they were considered successful whenever they _didn’t_ have to fight.

Up until now, the Sandaime had tried to honor the requests put forward by Tsunade’s group: that all squads would have a medic—and that underage shinobi would not be sent to the front, regardless of rank or talent.

Hinako folded her hands together. “We knew this day would come eventually. When things like this happen, the pressure to retaliate overrides everything else. When will you have to go?”

“I don’t know yet. Plans are being changed. I’m supposed to wait here for orders.”

“Alright. In that case, if you’re not doing anything else, you can help me with a few things around here. It will keep your mind off it.”

“Okay.” Obito didn’t particularly feel like fetching bolts of cloth from a high shelf or tidying the displays, but he knew better than to argue.

Besides, she was right. Waiting for something to happen with nothing else to occupy him might be more painful than not.

Obito drifted into the shop, looking around. He couldn’t see anything that needed immediate attention.

Hinako walked toward her sewing room and gestured back at him. “I could use your help with a work in progress. A rather tricky piece for a young man in the Fire court.”

Hinako ducked under the curtain leading to the back room and Obito followed. The room contained multiple machines and half-finished projects laying flat on tables and hanging on dress forms. Once, there had been another woman there helping Hinako fulfill orders. But she was also a chuunin of the Uchiha, and her sharp eye and nimble hands were needed for the war.

“It’s right in here.” Hinako lifted the lid of a flat box, rustling the tissue paper inside. She pulled out a fine-looking formal kimono made of cream-colored silk detailed in green.

“How am I supposed to help with that? I don’t know how to do any of this.”

“Of course not.” Hinako gave one of her low, wheezing laughs. “All you have to do is be still and try not to get stuck with a pin. Now, stand on this stool here and hold out your arms.”

Obito stepped onto the short wooden stool and held out his arms, feeling dubious. Hinako draped the long robe over his shoulders and tucked his arms in with deft, careful movements. Obito did his best to stand still.

“Good. It’s okay to lower your arms now.”

Obito rested his arms to his sides stiffly. The silk was probably more expensive than anything he’d ever owned.

Hinako walked around to stand in front of him. She nodded to herself, satisfied.

“Okay, so it fits, right?” Obito said.

Hinako gave a sly grin. She raised her hands—and spelled out a rapid flurry of seals.

“ _Fuuin: Spidersilk!”_

“Wha—!” Obito gave a startled cry when the robe suddenly tightened around him, the soft material becoming unyielding as steel.

His arms were stuck by his sides. In fact, he couldn’t move at all.

Hinako’s eyes sparked with amusement. “Behold, my unbeatable interrogation technique! Can you jump out of _this_ material, child?”

“What’re you…” Obito tried to step through the fabric, but found that he couldn’t. “I can’t— _how?_ What is this?”

“Simple. It’s a fabric-binding technique I happen to specialize in. Once you’re caught, it’s over. Of course, someone with your ability wouldn’t _be_ caught if you weren’t so gullible.”

Obito was halfway between exasperation and foreboding. “Okay, but what’s the point?”

“The point is…” Hinako paused and walked to one of the work tables. She took the chair from behind it and placed it in front of Obito before sitting down. “Before you go out to the front, I want us to have a chat. And I don’t want you running away.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _Ch 3: the longest day_ , will post ... when I get done with the editing I want to do on a future chapter. Or this day next week, whichever comes first! A week from now at maximum, but hopefully sooner.
> 
> Thanks for reading and have a good day!


	3. the longest day

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [posted 10/19/20]

Obito tried once again to writhe free from the robe wrapped around him, but the fabric wouldn’t budge. His power was sealed.

“Surprised to discover you’re not immune to binding jutsu? Well, I wasn’t entirely sure it would work, either. I thought catching you off guard might be the trick to it.”

Obito frowned down at where Hinako sat. “You don’t have to do that. We talk all the time.”

Hinako shook her head. “It’s not any of my business, but… I’ve always seen you as a lonely but very kind child. You used to be an open book to me. For a while now, I’ve felt I’m losing track of you.”

Obito made to speak, but Hinako held up her hand. “Wait. It’s true that changing beyond the reach of our elders is part of growing up. But in our clan, things are not always that simple, are they? When you return from battles you were not meant to be in, coming back with a new set of eyes and a cloud above your head, well… you should understand my concern about you being sent out again so soon.”

Obito felt a blush creeping up from his neck and into his face. “It’s nothing other people haven’t dealt with before. You did. I mean, we all have.”

“You’re right. We could say any number of things about that, but that’s not the only problem. I believe the most gifted of our clan are the ones most vulnerable to negative emotions. Some think this is an advantage, because you can transform weakness into power. Maybe. But I’ve seen that brand of power go wrong.”

“Are you talking about Uchiha Madara?” Obito asked, curious despite his embarrassment.

“I don’t remember much about his split with the village, but it affected everyone around me for years to come. And I’ve seen it plenty of times in the wars. More than anything, I don’t want you to become closed off. You’re too bright, too kind. What are you trying to hide from?"

Obito looked away at the unexpected pang he felt. They’d invented most of the details surrounding his capture at Kumo and mission at Kiri. But her assessment was still eerily close to the mark.

“I’m not hiding. I just want this war to be over,” he said quietly. “I want to make it through without losing anyone.”

“You can’t say you haven’t been hiding.” Hinako’s brow crinkled, like she was trying to see something invisible. “You used to be so excited about getting your Sharingan someday. But when you finally did, you kept it a secret. You obtained an amazing ability, one of the most incredible I’ve ever seen, yet you— _you_ —had to be called out by Fugaku before you’d even admit it. I’ve seen you float around on cloud nine for an entire afternoon just because Rin-chan patched up a scratch on your hand. Now, you have no reaction to her at all.”

Obito’s face flared anew. He tried to step down from the stool, but the fabric held him stubbornly in place. He felt a tiny sliver of panic.

“Who cares? She likes Kakashi, anyway. I was just being an idiot.”

“I know you don’t mean that. You’ll never know unless you try.”

“I don’t want to try. Things change.”

“Oh? Do you like somebody else now?”

“That’s—that’s _not_ what I meant! I meant I’m focusing on other stuff. We’re in a war.”

“Alright, fair enough. But how far does that go? What about other aspects of your life? Your team gets along well enough, but you don’t seem genuinely close to anyone.”

“ _I. Can’t_.” Obito’s voice went hoarse. He turned his head away as much as he could, squeezing his eyes shut.

“You can’t… what?”

“You don’t understand.”

“No,” Hinako said gently. “But if you explain it to me, I just might.”

Obito cursed mentally. He’d dug himself into a bottomless pit now. There was no way to truly explain. Not without telling her what he’d seen in the future.

“It’s just—you’re right about me. You’re completely right about the kind of person I am. I talk about wanting to be strong, to do good in the world. But I can’t even handle the thought of losing a person I care about. I was once told to guard my heart, because there would always be someone willing to aim directly for it.”

“Well, that’s terrible advice,” Hinako said flatly. “You have a long life ahead of you, I hope. Those who are close to you will come and go. Some will move on—some will die, and some will simply drift away. Many argue that love is our greatest weakness, but it’s also our greatest strength. You will fail if you try to live without it completely.”

“You mean I won’t be happy.”

“No, dear.” Hinako stood to look him better in the eye. “I mean you will fail. You can’t stop yourself from feeling. So you may as well come to terms with it.”

“We have more important things to worry about than—”

“Don’t misunderstand me. I don’t care if you’ve gotten over your schoolyard crush, or even if you decide that sort of thing isn’t for you at all. What I’m speaking of is far broader than that. There are more ways to love than there are stars in the sky. The enthusiasm you once showed for the future is a type of it, a zest for life. You mustn’t be afraid to follow your heart. The places it leads might be painful, but it is not your enemy.”

“I understand what you’re saying, Hina-baa,” Obito said quietly.

For most people, that made sense. But it was hard not to think of himself as an exception. Under different circumstances, following his heart could have ended the world.

“Like any young person, you need time to figure out who you are. And you’re going through something I always hoped your generation would be spared of. It’s alright to struggle, to not have the answers right away. All I want is for you to stay open. Do not close yourself off out of fear.”

“Okay. I’ll try.”

“Good boy.” Hinako inhaled. “Kai!”

The silk wrapped over him became soft and pliable again. Obito let Hinako remove the robe and fold it back into its box before stepping down from the stool.

“I still have to fight,” he said after a moment. “The war isn’t over.”

“I know,” Hinako said sadly. “I’d hoped it wouldn’t come to that. I suppose now, I’ll rely on Minato. If he got serious, it wouldn’t surprise me to hear he brought them to their knees before the rest of you had a chance to get there.”

Obito smiled a little. “It wouldn’t surprise me, either.”

Still. Obito hoped the Sanbi or the Kyuubi would never have to come out. It was hard to imagine either situation leading to a good outcome.

* * *

The rest of the day was long and tense. Obito heard nothing, not even from Rin or Kakashi. He thought about going to see Fugaku, but Hinako advised against it.

“He’ll be in a meeting room somewhere with the other Heads. At a time like this, all the clan leaders will be debating how best to divide their forces. The small fry have to wait their turn.”

Obito packed his bag and checked his gear multiple times. There was little point to it. His kamui dimension already held more supplies than he’d ever need. He took out the Book of Seals and kept it in an inside pocket of his jacket.

He felt too nervous to go anywhere. Orders could come in at any moment. If the situation became dire, he’d pull Naruto or Kabuto out wherever they stood to save time. Whoever the situation called for most.

It wouldn’t matter. They would come without hesitation or a need for explanation. It would take slightly longer since he’d have to pass through multiple dimensions to reach them. But he’d gotten the process down to under a minute.

Now that everyone in this timeline knew about his kamui, _they_ were his secret weapon.

Finally, near dusk, a civilian messenger from the missions office brought him a note.

Obito stood in the doorway to the shop and stared at it in his hands. Reading it multiple times did not help clarify anything.

“What is it? Gaping like that, you look like a fish.” Hinako peered at the note over his shoulder.

Obito scrunched his brows in confusion. “Minato-sensei and the others have left. The second wave is set to leave the day after tomorrow, once everyone has their orders. But then it says the Sandaime wants to meet me, Rin and Kakashi tomorrow morning. Why not send us our orders? We’re not important enough for a private meeting at a time like this.”

“Are you sure?” Hinako shook her head. “Maybe he has a specific task for you. There aren’t many teams from your age group with jounin.”

Obito remembered Hiruzen’s proposition when he’d returned from Kiri the last time—for Obito to lend his abilities to the ANBU. An offer he’d turned down.

It was easy to forget that people saw him differently now. His team, Hinako, Kushina, and even Fugaku still treated him the same. Fugaku had specifically sought Obito out to train, but he rarely seemed impressed no matter what he did.

Obito folded up the paper. “I wonder what Rin and Kakashi think about this. I’ll be back later.”

“Do you want me to wait for you?”

The shop was already past its usual closing time. She had stayed late. Obito turned back to her. “Nah, you can go home. Thanks for everything, Hina-baa.”

“Alright. Take care of yourself. And good luck.”

Obito felt a prickle in the back of his throat. He nodded. Then he stepped into the in-between space.

* * *

Obito found Rin and Kakashi and met back with them at the training ground, but there wasn’t a lot to learn from them. They were just as confused as he was, though Kakashi hid it under his usual veneer of know-it-all.

“We’re in the best position to infiltrate the Hidden Village. With us on the inside and Minato-sensei outside, they’ll have no choice but to surrender.”

“Do you think Sandaime-sama would send us directly into their stronghold?” Rin frowned.

“I don’t see why not. Obito and Minato-sensei took out the prison by themselves, right within striking distance of the village.”

“The Sanbi destroyed the prison, not us,” Obito said. “Besides, if Sandaime-sama wanted to use my power to get someone into Kiri, he would have asked me to send Minato-sensei and everyone from the first wave.”

This gave Kakashi pause. He crossed his arms. “I thought you could only transport one or two people, like Minato-sensei. Is that wrong?”

“No,” Obito lied instinctively. “I’m just saying, if they were going for that tactic, they’d pick someone else to go in. I mean, I’d _have_ to be involved, but they’d want better backup. Offense intended.”

Rin held up her hands as Kakashi narrowed his eyes dangerously. “There’s no point arguing about it. We’ll find out what’s going on soon.”

“Did you hear what was going on at the Medical Corps?” Kakashi asked, changing track quickly.

Rin nodded. “It has been a little chaotic, but they are prepared to support everyone. Some have already left along with the first wave. They’re still following Tsunade-sama’s recommendation of one per squad.”

“That’s good,” Obito said. “But I guess you won’t be with them this time.”

“Obviously.” Kakashi rolled his eyes.

“No. That was always dependent on if we were being sent out together.” Rin looked up at the sky. Stars were already coming out. “It’s getting late. We should focus on getting a good night’s rest while we still can.”

They all stood silently for a moment. Obito wondered if they felt as nervous as he did about going to war. They’d fought plenty of battles together already, but this felt different. Whatever happened, things were about to change.

“Do… you guys want a lift home?” Obito offered awkwardly.

Rin smiled and shook her head. “I’ll walk. Thanks.”

“Don’t be late tomorrow,” Kakashi said.

As the other two left, Obito took himself directly home, bypassing the dark and silent shop.

He went to bed without bothering to change. He lay on top of the covers and closed his eyes, willing sleep to come quickly and peacefully. He was still tired from the night before, so it should have been easy.

Unbidden, Obito remembered Hinako’s lecture, and he turned onto his side with a sort of forceful stubbornness. He focused on breathing and let his thoughts float away into nothingness.

* * *

Obito returned to consciousness in a confused, stumbling way. He was up on his hands and knees before he fully understood why.

Then he heard it: the long, low wail of the siren.

Obito opened his window and the sound grew clearer and louder. His heart lobbed like a hammer to his chest. The rest of him was still sluggish.

Was there a fire in the District?

There were people walking quickly on the street below. Obito blinked the sleep out of his eyes, and the familiarity of the sound suddenly clicked into place. Everyone from Academy students to the elite ANBU to ordinary civilians knew what that particular sound meant.

The village was under attack.

Obito rolled and grabbed his hitai-ate off the bedside table. He pulled it onto his head, then climbed out the window.

Down on the street, he saw one of the Academy teachers ushering a large group of Uchiha children. Some of them were crying. But he recognized one of them who wasn’t: Itachi.

“Itachi!” Obito called and jumped down to catch up to them.

Itachi gave him a startled look. “Obito-nii?”

Obito bent to speak to him as they walked. “Why are you by yourself? Where are your parents?”

“They left with the first wave,” the teacher said sharply. He was also an Uchiha, but Obito only recognized him vaguely. “What are you doing? Genin and volunteers are assisting the evacuation. All higher-ranked shinobi must report to the front gate unless ordered otherwise.”

“I know that,” Obito snapped back. “But I haven’t talked to anyone yet. What’s going on? Is it Kiri?”

One of the kids gave a loud sob. The teacher looked over his charges. “I know everyone’s scared. But we need to move. We need to exit the District before we can reach the mountain.”

“Alright.” Obito patted Itachi on the head. “Listen to Sensei and help the others. Everyone will be back before you know it.”

“Okay,” Itachi said in a barely audible voice.

Obito looked up and down the street. Everyone seemed to be following procedures without knowing much. All he could do was the same.

He walked backward into a wall and re-emerged at the front gate to the village.

There was a crowd assembled at the gate. Obito saw people from his own class, along with older shinobi who hadn’t left in the first wave. As Obito pushed his way through looking for Rin and Kakashi, he saw the Sandaime talking to a group of adult shinobi nearby. The Hokage swiped his hand through the air to dismiss them, and they jumped away.

Obito started over there, but then he saw Kakashi standing next to the looming figure of Jiraiya. As he approached, he spotted Rin, and Gai, and Genma—in fact, most of his class was standing there together. Obito briefly wondered where Tsunade and Orochimaru were. Jiraiya’s face was etched with grim lines.

“Obito!” Rin called when she spotted him.

“What’s going on?” Obito asked in a rush as he joined his team.

“An outgoing squad had a run-in with a team of Kiri hunter-nin nearby. Much closer than they should have been,” Rin said. “They managed to send word ahead.”

Obito swore. “The timing is too good to be a coincidence.”

“Yeah.” Kakashi inclined his head toward Jiraiya. “We don’t know how many there are. The alarm was raised as a precaution. Most of the ANBU and jounin who weren’t in the first wave have already gone to chase them out. It might be nothing. I bet we’re about to get sidelined again.”

“No,” Jiraiya interrupted their whispering. “We can’t take any chances. We need everyone to help. The genin will man the walls as soon as they finish getting everybody into the mountain. In the meantime, you lot will guard the perimeter. If anyone manages to break through, you’re the last chance to stop them before they reach the wall.”

The members of their former class looked at each other, some murmuring. Even Gai looked grimly serious.

Jiraiya waited, and everyone fell silent. “For some of you, this could be your first direct battle in the war. It won’t be like the missions you’ve had before now. We know now they are aiming to kill. You have to do the same. Your squad leaders have been given your positions. Now, _scatter!_ ”

Kakashi seized Obito’s arm. “Take us to the two o’clock position.”

Rin nodded and took hold of Obito’s other arm.

Obito spared only a slight glance at the others before stepping through the dimensions.

Obito knew the Monument was at the 12 position. He pulled them back into the solid world a little offset from it, well outside the village.

Like most of the surrounding area, this section was populated by dense forest. It was very dark.

“Did we land too far out?” Rin wondered, craning her head to look back over her shoulder.

“No. That was a perfect jump,” Kakashi said. Obito was too surprised to respond. “If we’re too close, they could give us the slip and climb over. We want to slow down anyone who makes it this far. We’re at a disadvantage when it comes to experience, so we should ambush them. Let’s set up traps throughout this area.”

They all understood Kakashi was the leader by default, but even Obito couldn’t find a reason to argue with him now. The three got to work.

When the traps were set, they would get out in front of them and wait in the trees.

“Once we get into position, we need to stay quiet,” Kakashi said in low tones. “I’ll be in the middle. Don’t use your radios unless you lose line of sight with me. Follow my lead. Remember: we want to hit them before they reach the traps, if possible. We only have one chance to surprise them.”

“If we’re lucky, no one will make it this far at all,” Obito murmured.

Kakashi sighed. He looked on the verge of saying something disparaging. But then he said, “We have to be prepared to fight for our lives, or we won’t be able to make up the gap. Is everyone ready?”

Obito took a deep breath. He reminded himself that this was very different from what he’d almost done back in Kannabi. They were protecting themselves and everyone in the village. He pushed his queasiness down.

“I’m ready.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _Ch 4: the Flash's shadow_ will post a week from now or less, depending on my editing. See you next time!


	4. the Flash's shadow

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [posted 10/21/20]
> 
> Some of this story's warnings apply. See end notes for specifics.

Obito, Kakashi, and Rin advanced silently in the darkness.

As they crept forward in formation, Obito activated his Sharingan. He was all too aware of Fugaku’s constant directive: _you can’t react to what you don’t know. Never be in a situation where you can’t see the enemy coming_.

They stopped in a spot Kakashi deemed appropriate and climbed up into three tall trees equidistant from each other. Kakashi was in the middle and slightly ahead. Obito could barely see Rin through the maze of branches between them. Her form looked like nothing but a smudge of color through the Sharingan. But the idea was for Kakashi to relay any information to them through the standard signs, and vice versa.

Now that they’d switched from working to waiting, Obito’s thoughts ran in a constant stream. He’d only been asleep for a few hours. Why were they attacking in the middle of the night? The terrain would be unfamiliar and dangerous in the darkness. Were they trying to sneak in, rather than face Konoha’s greater numbers head-on? Had they retreated after being found out?

The hunter-nin _must_ have been on the way long before Minato and the others left. If both sides were now aiming for the other’s home base—did that mean Kiri had decided to take that step first? Did they guess Minato was leaving, or were they just lucky?

Or maybe they were counting on him being there. Maybe he was their target.

Obito tried to push his thoughts back so he could concentrate on watching and listening. He had the greatest range of sight in the dark. His team was counting on him to spot any suspicious movements.

Waiting in silence became mind-numbing. Obito had to stop himself from leaning on the trunk of his tree so he wouldn’t fall asleep. Recently, the nights had lost much of their balm, and the smell of the forest hinted at the coming autumn. The sky was clear. In some other situation, it would be a perfect night to be out under the stars.

Obito jerked his head up, startled by nearly losing his balance. He’d drifted off for a second. He glanced at Kakashi and Rin. They hadn’t moved. Kakashi was staring intently below with the resolve of a statue.

Obito returned his gaze to the forest, and his heart jumped up into his throat when he thought he saw movement. He dug his fingertips into the bark and narrowed his eyes. He waved to get Kakashi’s attention.

‘Enemies,’ he gestured, hand trembling slightly.

‘Number?’

Obito squinted again, keeping his breathing level, then held up two fingers. He didn’t know how to say _probably_ , so he kept it at that.

Kakashi relayed the message to Rin. Then he signed, ‘Wait. To my lead.’

Obito nodded. He wasn’t sure whether to be relieved or not. Their team had the advantage of numbers and terrain. But this pair had made it past the jounin and older chuunin sent out by the Sandaime. They were heading toward the Monument despite losing the element of surprise. None of that was by chance.

Kakashi waited until the Kiri-nin were very close. Obito could see their uniforms and masks. They were indeed two of Kiri’s hunter-nin, shinobi widely considered on par with Konoha’s own ANBU.

Were these the same ones? Or had Kiri sent the hunters out in force?

Kakashi leaned out on his tree branch, chakra blade in hand, poised and tense. When the hunter-nin passed directly below, he struck.

The chakra blade screamed with lightning energy, cracking the air. The first hunter-nin shoved the other, larger one out of the way, but the lightning branched out and struck them. The first jumped back out of the way as the second one cried out, lightning rippling over them.

Obito jumped down in front of the first hunter-nin. He swiped at them with a kunai, but they stepped nimbly out of his way. Obito kept swinging, kept pushing, hoping to drive the hunter-nin further away from the other one.

He dogged the hunter step by step. Fugaku taught him to use strategy to compensate for kamui’s slower travel speed. Obito couldn’t jump around a battle in milliseconds like Minato, but he was almost unbeatable up close.

For a moment, Obito succeeded in pushing the hunter-nin back. But they quickly understood his intent and jumped clear over his knife swing, then made to kick him in the head.

Obito didn’t have enough time to dodge or block. But the strike sailed cleanly through him. The hunter-nin was caught off guard by the lack of resistance. They landed less gracefully in a crouch, then rose to their feet slowly. Obito couldn’t see the surprise under the hunter’s mask, but it was clear from the hesitation, the stiffness in their posture.

He felt a flicker of victory. A taijutsu user. That explained how they’d dodged Kakashi and Obito’s strikes so easily. But Obito had the advantage. All he had to do was get close enough to touch.

The taijutsu user charged him suddenly, stance low and arms bent. Obito stood still and let them pass through. As soon as the way was clear, Obito turned around and solidified. Then he struck.

He reached out and grabbed a fistful of the hunter’s uniform gi—but, quick as a blink, they caught him by the wrist and flipped him over. He couldn’t grab and phase at the same time, and he was sent flying before he could switch between them.

Obito hit the ground and slid right into the middle of Kakashi’s fight. He and the other hunter-nin were going blade-to-blade. Obito didn’t see Rin yet. She was supposed wait until the last possible moment, to gauge the situation from above and act accordingly.

Kakashi stepped over him, cursing as he blocked a heavy blow from the hunter’s sword. “Get up!”

Obito scrambled to his feet. He’d dropped his kunai, so he drew a new one. But the swordsman was larger and heavier than both of them, and Kakashi’s chakra blade had much less reach. For a moment, Kakashi and the swordsman were deadlocked.

And in that moment, Obito saw a new figure emerge across from him, on Kakashi’s other side. They were moving exceptionally fast, but his Sharingan caught the details—the hunter-nin mask, a fist full of long, thin knives. Their energy was nearly invisible. They could hide their presence.

The hunter-nin had kept a third person back, too.

Obito ran through Kakashi, who didn’t so much as flinch. The new hunter-nin didn’t look surprised, either. Their shoulders tensed, about to throw the knives. Obito could see the movement in overlays, hints of the knives’ trajectory. But he couldn’t let them pass through his body, or Kakashi would be hit. He had to stop the third hunter’s movements before they could throw.

This one was larger than him, too, but not as tall as the swordsman. Obito slipped under the hunter’s reach. He braced the hilt of his kunai with his other hand and stabbed the hunter-nin in the gut.

It was different from what he expected. The hunter-nin jerked. Obito hadn’t aimed perfectly. His fingers got jammed. His grip became slippery with blood.

The hunter snarled and grabbed Obito’s right arm, not seeming to care that it dug the kunai in deeper. The hunter made a whip-quick stab at Obito, aiming for his face. Obito reflexively turned his head and put his left hand up.

He made a mistake.

The knife slashed across Obito’s palm and over his right eye, cutting a sharp angle. The pain and the blood spilling into his eye immediately made him reel back. He let go of the kunai. The hunter kicked Obito in the chest and they both stumbled backward. The hunter made a loud, agonized sound as his wound was jolted. Blood soaked through his gi in a quickly widening stain.

Obito kept reeling back, blinded by blood and stinging, sharp tears. Chills swept over his body. The knives were coated with something painful.

“Obito!” He heard Rin shout.

Obito unzipped his jacket and found the Book of Seals. He fumbled and nearly dropped it. He’d forgotten his palm was bleeding.

Something heavy slammed into him, and he fell on his back. Obito blinked and looked up. The taijutsu user had him pinned.

The book had fallen to the ground. Obito reached for it, but his fingertips could only brush the edge of the paper.

The taijutsu user pulled one of Obito’s kunai from his leg holster and held it up to his throat.

“The Flash’s shadow,” a feminine voice hissed. “I’ll enjoy carving _your_ eyes out.”

She raised the kunai. Obito tried to phase through the ground, but it made his veins burn.

Obito cried out. But the taijutsu user hadn’t moved. One of the other hunter-nin, the swordsman, stood beside them with his hand over the kunai.

“They were obviously ready for us,” he said. “We need to go.”

“This boy is—”

“I know. And he’ll be more valuable with his eyes _intact_. Now move, before any others come.”

“Fine. Can’t you at least do something about them?”

“You’re not going anywhere.” Obito heard Kakashi say in a chilling tone.

“What—” the taijutsu user rolled away to avoid a barrage of shuriken.

Obito turned his head heavily to look over. It was Rin, taking advantage of Kakashi’s distraction to attack.

She threw a kunai with a paper bomb attached at the hunters’ feet, and they jumped away right before it exploded, sending dirt and leaves up into the air. It was bright and noisy, bound to get someone’s attention.

Obito tried to sit up, but it felt like his veins were burning.

“Don’t move,” Rin said. She’d somehow ended up beside him.

“Poisoned,” Obito said hoarsely. “My eye—”

Another explosion came from behind Rin, and she ducked her head against it. Her expression grew sharp and she whirled around, reaching into her bag.

It was the hunter-nin Obito had stabbed. He swayed unsteadily on his feet. He held two more small bombs, one in each hand.

“Rin, go,” Obito said creakily.

Suddenly the whole world flip-flopped. Obito felt a jolt that sent a wave of hot chills all over him. The swordsman had flung him over his shoulder. The ground looked far away. Everything was becoming a black, woolly cloud. Obito looked down and saw the man’s hand glow with sharp, bright chakra. He brought the hand up to cover Obito’s injured eye. The pain was piercing and immediate.

No.

Obito bit the man’s hand as hard as he could, making him snarl and jerk back. The sharp chakra disappeared and the hand curled into a fist, but another explosion nearby sent them jumping out of the way once more. The Book of Seals flew and smacked into a tree next to them. The taijutsu user noticed and bent to pick it up.

 _No!_ Obito tried to shout, but the cloud was almost suffocating.

Kakashi jumped at the swordsman, who dodged to the side. It should have jolted Obito again, should have hurt, but everything was going numb. He saw the taijutsu user tuck the book into her gi. The swordsman rumbled words he couldn’t understand.

Kakashi was still fighting. Where was Rin?

 _No no no no_ **_no!_ **

Even as he slipped out of consciousness, Obito willed his power to come back to him. He made one last push at the boundary of his dimension, and it sent a sharp stab of pain through his eye like an invisible knife.

* * *

The stars were still out when Obito woke up.

The first thing he noticed was the great green gates of Konoha looming over him. They were firmly shut, but the gates and the wall were still there, whole.

“Obito, can you hear me?”

Obito turned his head at the sound of Rin’s voice. She and Kakashi were crouched beside him, looking grim. Kakashi had bandages around his head, and his arm was in a sling. Rin looked unhurt aside from some minor scrapes and dirt. Behind them, Obito saw uniformed medics walking between rows of cots crowded into the plaza.

Obito blinked. He could see clearly out of his left eye. But his right eye was covered in bandages.

“This is the temporary medic camp,” Rin said. “We didn’t want to move you far, since you were poisoned. It would have been fatal if we hadn’t gotten you out in time. A lot of the people out here got hit with it.”

“My eye.” Obito lightly touched the bandages. The pain was still there, but it felt distant, dulled.

“Your eye wasn’t cut—but trace amounts of poison got in it. We’re not sure what the long-term effects will be. It did bleed some.”

“He’s an Uchiha. That could mean anything,” Kakashi said.

“I’m also concerned about what that hunter almost did to him,” Rin said in a low voice. “He used a chakra scalpel.”

Kakashi’s nose crinkled. “Trying to steal it.”

Obito looked at his bandaged hand. He remembered getting blood on the book.

The book.

Obito felt frozen in place. Everything came drifting back through a black cloud.

The hunter-nin they’d fought. They’d taken it.

“The book.”

“What?” Rin asked.

He tried to phase into kamui, but he was met with an agonizing pain in his eye, so sharp and unexpected that it made him scream.

“Oi!”

“Obito!”

Obito gasped and fell back. The pain didn’t immediately fade. It pulsed quietly in the center of his right eye.

“Don’t try to use your power!” Rin said sharply. “Not until we can have an Uchiha medic take a look at you. You don’t want to make it worse.”

“What… happened? With the Kiri-nin,” Obito said through heavy breaths.

Rin looked at Kakashi. “They were trying to take you away. Kakashi made the man with the sword drop you. He was able to fight two of them off while I made sure you were okay. We had to go back to the village right away once I realized you needed an antidote. I’m sorry we couldn’t do much else, but you really could have died.”

Kakashi’s brow knit in frustration. “In the end, they ran away. I don’t know how far they’ll make it, though. They were all injured. Some of our squads are still out there. From what we’ve heard, a lot of the hunter-nin retreated. We still don’t know how many there were. But it seems like a lot.”

Obito felt lightheaded, like he was about to pass out again. His body was heavy and drained from straining to use kamui. He thought of asking what happened to the shinobi he stabbed, but decided he didn’t want to know.

“And Minato-sensei? And the others out on the front?”

“Sandaime-sama decided not to call them back. The situation here is under control. It’s more important than ever that we strike back soon. The second wave is still going. Only now, the three of us won’t be with them.” Kakashi stared down at him. “What actually happened when you were in Kiri? Those people recognized you.”

“I tried to kidnap their bijuu. It makes sense they’d want to kill me.”

“But _how_ did that happen? We didn’t even know where you went until you and Minato-sensei came back. And then Sensei was—you know.”

“It doesn’t matter.”

Kakashi’s brows pulled even lower beneath his bandages, but Rin shook her head, and he let it go.

Obito closed his good eye.

He couldn’t understand how everything had gone wrong so quickly.

* * *

Obito drifted in and out of consciousness. Shortly after dawn, the medics cleared him to go home, as long as the rest of the team looked after him. The hospital was reserved for those that needed life-saving surgeries and constant watch. It didn’t help that its capacity had been maxed since the war began.

Kakashi and Rin helped Obito get home and into bed. Hinako brought them tea, then said she was closing the store for a while to go home and cook some soup. The other two sat beside Obito on stools brought up from the workshop.

“Are you a little more awake now?” Rin asked.

“We heard more last time you were out,” Kakashi said. “The ones who attacked were all hunter-nin, probably most of the force. But the Seven Swordsmen and the Mizukage weren’t there. Striking first ended up hurting them more than anything. Some ANBU are tracking their retreat.”

“No one knew they were coming,” Rin said. “Jiraiya-sama thinks they may have sent this group weeks ago, going around to avoid all our defenses along the border. They retreated west instead of east. That’s making people concerned that they might have had some assistance from Iwa—or at least permission to move through their territory.”

“If they did get help, they won’t get it again after failing so badly.” Kakashi snorted. “Attacking us head-on like that. What were they even trying to do?”

“Maybe it wasn’t supposed to be head-on. Maybe they wanted to sneak in.”

Obito didn’t look at them as they talked. He was staring out his window. After a moment, he couldn’t keep it in any longer. His face contorted, and tears spilled out of his good eye. His injured eye stung and burned, but it didn’t produce any tears.

He bit his lip to stop himself from making any sound, to keep the sobs locked in his chest. It was bad enough to be seen crying in front of them again.

But Kakashi didn’t make fun of him this time. And Rin took hold of his uninjured hand.

“I was scared, too. But it’s over,” she said softly.

“Um. Thanks for having my back out there.” Kakashi scratched his cheek awkwardly.

Obito clenched his teeth and covered his crying eye with his bandaged hand. He wanted to scream again, and his chest nearly burst with the effort of holding it in.

“What’s wrong?” Rin asked hesitantly, like she could sense the imminent explosion.

But Obito didn’t want to say it. He didn’t want to acknowledge it.

“Okay, so you can’t use kamui right now,” Kakashi said. “But you’ll heal up soon, and everything will be fine.”

“But it’s gone.”

“What is?”

Obito thought about all the book contained and what it connected, and wondered why he hadn’t treated it with more care before.

Kabuto’s life.  
The other world.    
Orochimaru’s notes.   
The Time-Spanning Incarnation.  
Akatsuki. The jinchuuriki.  
Naruto.

“Everything.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: canon-typical detailed violence, eye trauma
> 
>  _Ch 5: to lose is to find_ will post Oct 26. See you then!


	5. to lose is to find

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [posted 10/26/20]
> 
> Some of this story's warnings apply. See end note for specifics.

Rin and Kakashi sat in uncertain silence.

“The book is gone,” Obito said again. More articulate words than that still wouldn’t come.

“What book?” Rin sounded concerned.

“Wait, I think I saw it,” Kakashi said. “He took it out after that hunter-nin slashed his eye. But I don’t know what happened to it.”

“I saw. They picked it up. Kiri has it now,” Obito said. His voice was muffled by his hands over his face.

“So… what is it?” Kakashi asked slowly. “I’ve never seen you use a paper seal since you got kamui.”

Obito lowered his hands. “My kamui dimension is only linked to where it comes from. Where I come from. To go anywhere else, I need a pathway to someone on the other side. Otherwise, I can’t find that place. That’s just how my abilities developed this time. If I had more power—”

“You’re saying book was a pathway?” Kakashi guessed. “You were trying to leave the battle.”

Obito glared at him. “No! I was trying to get help. I panicked. We were all in trouble. But the book was the last connection to the other world I had left. Now it’s gone.”

“It’s not… gone, though,” Rin said hesitantly. “Technically, it’s only missing, isn’t it?”

Obito’s gaze drifted over to the window again. Trying to use kamui hurt. But if he could push through the pain—if he could use it _just_ _enough_ to move around his world, he could go after the team that had stolen it.

“Those guys retreated, but do we know which way they went?”

Kakashi waved his arm, wrapped tightly and held in a sling. “You _can’t_ be thinking about chasing them down. In your condition, you’d lose immediately. Besides, we’ve been officially removed from the action. We’re supposed to stay here.”

“I know. I’ll be in trouble if Sensei comes back and I’m not here. But the book is a lot more than just a path. A friend of mine could die if anything happens to it.”

And the jinchuuriki of the other world—they could die, too.

Kakashi sighed. “Then for someone like you, it’s not about what’ll happen if you do or don’t, it’s about what kind of person you want to be.”

“Huh?” That surprised Obito enough that he turned to look at Kakashi.

“I’m just saying, I know you.”

“So what would you do?”

Kakashi froze and looked away. “This isn’t about me. My job is to protect this team. Right now, that means keeping you from doing something reckless on your own. You’re not at a hundred percent, and I’m not either. So whatever we do, we should wait.”

Rin gave a small smile. “They took it because it belonged to you, right? They won’t destroy it. They’ll want to keep it and try figuring out its secrets. And we know exactly where they’re going back to. Once Kiri surrenders, we can tell Minato-sensei what happened. He would want to help.”

“Yeah. Thanks, guys,” Obito said quietly.

Rin nodded. “Try to focus on recovering right now. I’ll see if we can get you into the hospital to have an Uchiha medic look at your eye.”

“Okay,” Obito said. Then he added, “Sorry. You both need to get some rest, too. You were up all night.”

“We’ll leave when Hina-baa gets back.” Kakashi glanced at Rin.

“Right. And then we’ll check at the hospital. Make sure they know you’re the student of Minato-sensei _and_ Fugaku-sama.” Rin grinned.

“Thanks,” Obito said again. He pulled the covers up to his chin and turned onto his left side, facing the window. His right eye throbbed steadily.

* * *

When Obito woke again, he wasn’t sure how much time had passed.

He sat up groggily. He tried piecing the timeline together mentally. It was dark outside, so he must have slept through the rest of the day—assuming he’d been asleep for hours, not days. He woke up in the plaza that morning. The attack had been the night before. The book had been missing twenty-four hours by now.

Something smelled good. Obito turned his head and saw a bowl of soup on his bedside table, condensation beading underneath the plastic wrap covering it.

There was also a note: ‘ _If it gets cold before you wake up, there’s more in the crock pot in your kitchen.’_

Obito peeled off the plastic wrap and breathed in the smell of herbs and chicken broth. The soup was lukewarm, but he drank it all, not bothering to use the spoon Hinako had left beside the bowl.

After downing the whole thing, he felt a little better. At the very least, more clearheaded.

Obito knew that, in theory, he should be able to travel using kamui with one eye. Tobi had done it for years.

The energy cost was the problem. His capability was halved, and his body was still recovering. After resting for a little while, how far would he be able to go?

And Kakashi was right: even if he could jump, fighting the hunters head-on was a bad idea. He’d have to find them and steal the book back without engaging.

There was one other obstacle to pursuing them. If Konoha won before he could find the book, and Minato came home—if he chose to, he’d be able to sense Obito was gone before even reaching the village.

Obito touched the place on his right shoulder where the Hiraishin mark was etched permanently onto his skin. The version of Minato from the future timeline had put it there. He said it was for “proof”. He said it might come in handy.

Obito frowned as he rubbed the mark. How precise were the markers? As long as the seal was on his body, would Minato notice if it was in a different spot?

The beginnings of a plan were starting to form in Obito’s mind.

It was outlandish. Foolish. Dangerous. Part of him was horrified to even consider it. To pull it off, he’d have to facilitate something he’d sworn to never let happen.

But it could work.

Obito got out of bed and found his pack on the chair in front of his desk. He pulled out a tin filled with small, round pellets. The food pills weren’t as effective as what Orochimaru or the Akimichi clan could make, but they could give him a boost of energy in a pinch.

Obito found his weapons and put them back on. Then he turned to face the room and closed his eyes, slowly breathing out.

He could feel the in-between space. It was still there.

He stepped into it.

He was prepared for the pain, and he didn’t flinch this time when it came. He pushed through, concentrating as much as he could, hanging on to the singular determination to make it to the other side.

With a gasp, he stepped out into the kamui dimension.

The energy expenditure washed over him like a feeling of vertigo. His muscles grew weak, and he nearly lost balance. Obito got out the small tin and put one of the food tablets between his teeth. The bitter taste spread over his tongue. The vertigo-feeling lost its edge.

Once steady, Obito walked over to Tobi’s prison. He steeled himself as Tobi scrutinized him.

“You look terrible. What happened?”

Obito felt an unexpected surge of anger. He hit his fist on the bars. “Kiri attacked the village. You were wrong! They attacked, and—and I lost the Book of Seals. They knew who I was. They took it from me.”

Tobi seemed to understand his disorganized accusations. He walked over to the bars. “I told you, things aren’t how they were in my time. They put all their bets on the Sanbi back then. But I guess you are not popular with them after it went missing. Have they figured out that Minato-sensei has it?”

“No. I don’t know.” Obito pressed lightly on his stinging eye. “I was poisoned. The medics said my eye wasn’t cut, but it hurts. It’s all I can do just to come here.”

“I remember that feeling. My kamui progressed slower than yours did. I only had one eye to start with. I needed the Mangekyou to use it as much as you do. You’ll have to start your training over.”

“There’s still a chance it will heal.” Obito dropped his hand. “But I don’t have time for any of that. I think I can jump a few more times, travel on foot part of the way.”

“Meaning what? You’re going to chase after the book? How?”

Obito made himself look Tobi in the face. He usually avoided it. It was unnerving to see his own face on someone else, albeit fourteen years older and half covered in scars.

“You are me,” Obito said.

Tobi raised a skeptical brow. “If you are accepting that now, it can’t be for a good reason.”

“Minato-sensei will sense if I’m not at home, but you have his mark on you, too. And you could fool any sensor-types. Even the Uchiha. I’m not supposed to use my Sharingan right now, so it won’t matter that you lost yours.”

“You can’t be serious.”

“All you have to do is lay in bed and be too injured to go anywhere. I already told Rin and Kakashi that I want to find the book. If they ask about it, just say that my kamui doesn’t work at all yet, so we have to wait until I’m healed. If they get too suspicious, you can tell them the truth. Just—as a last resort.”

“Rin and Kakashi?” Tobi asked quietly.

Obito took hold of one of the wooden slats. “I’ll only be gone for a few days, if that. If I can’t find it, I’ll come back. If you try doing _anything_ to mess up my world, I’ll—”

“I get the picture,” Tobi said smoothly. “But what if I don’t want to take your place? If Minato-sensei finds out, he may well try to kill me. I didn’t meet that version of him on the best terms. He’s less merciful than you give him credit for.”

“Then do a good job hiding it. It might not come to that, anyway. We’ll use one of those seals so the disguise holds up at all times. Bandages will cover your missing eye, so that won’t have to be faked.”

Tobi considered for a moment, absently scratching his scarred jawline. Though they _were_ the same person, Obito couldn’t tell what he was thinking. He hadn’t considered the possibility that Tobi might refuse to leave his prison.

“Alright,” Tobi said. “Since you’re willing to go so far for this, I’ll help. You’ve forgotten something, though. If you pursue Kiri, you may go within Minato-sensei’s range well before he comes home. If he senses you out there, it won’t matter how convincing I am.”

Obito touched his shoulder. “I didn’t forget.”

There was a beat of silence.

Obito held out his hand to Tobi. “My right side is already covered in burns. One more won’t make much of a difference. I know it’s a lot to ask, but I can’t do it by myself.”

Tobi stared at his hand. Then he slowly reached out and placed his hand over Obito’s open palm.

Obito braced himself and pulled Tobi out of his prison. Simply phasing through didn’t hurt as badly. Obito let go and stepped back from Tobi as soon as he could.

Tobi looked around once he was standing outside the cell, free for the first time in four months. Something unreadable flickered across his expression, but he didn’t make any moves. “I assume you have a good medikit in that tent somewhere.”

“Yeah. And Kushina-san’s disguise seals.” Obito started toward the tent. It didn’t matter if he turned his back to Tobi now. That was the least he’d have to trust the man with today.

While Tobi stood outside the cluttered field tent, Obito got out the medikit and left it open on one of the trunks stacked in front of it. He brought a low stool outside and sat with his back facing Tobi. He peeled off his shirt, then drew a knife from his leg holster and offered it without looking back.

Tobi took the knife.

Obito tried not to tense too much, tried not to second-guess. Tobi wouldn’t kill his only way out of the pocket dimension. And if he tried to go for his eyes—Obito could still phase pretty well inside kamui. Tobi would go back in the cell and stay there forever.

“You’re really serious,” Tobi said after an uncomfortably long pause.

“The longer we waste time here, the further away they’ll get.”

Another pause. Obito heard Tobi’s inhale, then the quiet _fwoosh_ as he let loose a stream of fire.

He felt warm air on his back. He braced himself for the sting of hot metal.

* * *

The apartment was dark and quiet when they emerged into Obito’s living room.

Obito grabbed the back of his couch as he felt the world tilt. The burn on his shoulder didn’t hurt as much as he thought it would, but traveling between dimensions was still difficult. He pulled out the tin of food pills and chewed on another one.

“I wouldn’t rely on those if I were you,” Tobi said. He spoke in his own voice, but his appearance was altered to be the perfect twin to Obito.

“Is that supposed to be a joke?” Obito snapped the tin shut. If it was unnerving to look at Tobi before, now it was downright disorienting. On the surface, they were identical in every way. Tobi had even wrapped the bandages around his head exactly the way Rin had.

“You can only overcome your body’s limits so many times before it shuts you down. When I was your age, I could not make these kinds of jumps until after I unlocked the Mangekyou.”

“I won’t be gone for very long. I’ll jump out as far as I can and keep going on foot, if I have to.”

“What if you collapse out in the field? You might as well deliver yourself to Kiri with a bow on top.”

Obito scowled. “As long as I reserve enough strength to go into kamui, it doesn’t matter. I can always recover there. And why do you still sound like yourself? It’s really creeping me out.”

“ _It’s really creeping me out_ ,” Tobi mocked perfectly in Obito’s voice.

“On second thought, that’s worse.” Obito checked his gear again to make sure he had everything he’d need on hand. After considering for a moment, he pulled out a plain brown traveling cloak with a hood. If his intangibility failed and he was forced out into the open, it might give him a chance to get away without being identified. Using one of the disguise seals was out. Anything that required some of his chakra was out.

“I know they retreated west. Someone must have a better idea of where they are now. I’ll find out where the ANBU are, and start there.”

“You’ll have to hover between dimensions to get that kind of information. That’s most of your reserves right there.”

“I know.” Obito glanced around the apartment. “I think that’s everything. Someone will probably come check on you in the morning. If you don’t know what to say, just act like you don’t want to talk.”

“I convinced the entire world I was Uchiha Madara. I can be a brooding teenager for a few days.”

Obito gave a smile that felt just a little bit vicious. “Even if you manage to pass as me, it won’t matter if you don’t have the stomach for it.”

He looked at the clock hanging on the kitchen wall. Dawn was only a couple hours away. He had to move quickly.

“See you,” he said, slipping into the space between.

Obito’s ability to hold himself between dimensions was reduced from three minutes to about one.

But he made it work. He went to the jounin armory and hid himself in the ceiling over the front desk.

The Hokage’s office might have been a better target for information, but Obito wasn’t confident he could hide his presence from Hiruzen. As a leader, he was famously canny, even if he let Orochimaru get the better of him in the future. The center of the village’s most important decisions would have traps for potential eavesdroppers.

In contrast, the armory was a boring, practical place. The only threat they worried about were thieves. The storerooms filled with weapons were locked up tight. But the front office was open during the day. And right now, after an attack, it would see a circulation of jounin coming to report and replace their used gear.

He was lucky. The attack was all anyone wanted to talk about. There was some discussion of who was going to be sent out when. The first wave would hit Kiri in one or two days, depending on how tricky the sea was. It was Kiri’s natural defense, the reason they had managed to hang on during the war so far.

Only a select few ANBU were sent to chase after the retreating hunter-nin. The Sandaime didn’t want to split up their forces too much, but instead focus on the main drive to Kiri. They were sent to track them more than stop them.

Kakashi and Rin were right: the hunter-nin had retreated west. At the last report, they were making a beeline for the border between Fire and Grass. That lined up with the possibility of Iwa supporting them behind the scenes, but the Sandaime had cautioned them not to jump to conclusions without further investigation. It could be a deliberate trick to play off the many years of bad blood between Iwa and Konoha. Iwa had done a similar thing to Kiri right before the Sanbi incident.

There was a lot to take in, but Obito had to quickly move along. He knew where the hunters were, and possibly where they were headed. He’d been on missions to that area before, back when they were still fighting Iwa. It was familiar enough.

Finding them was not only dangerous, it was a long shot. But he couldn’t stay still. He couldn’t wait.

It was time to go.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: self harm by proxy, burns/branding, mild stimulant usage.
> 
>  _Ch 6: when we were all apart_ will post Oct 31. 🎃


	6. when we are all apart

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [posted 10/31/20]
> 
> It's obvious by now, but this chapter kicks off the identity swap plot. Just as a reminder, like I said at the top of chapter 1, my reason for this was to write literally _anything_ , and get myself unblocked by having a good old wacky time. Is this realistic? No, not at all. Is it a reach? Yes. Am I going to try convincing you this makes perfect sense? Nope. Because it doesn't, and that was never my concern.
> 
> With that out of the way, let's dive in! :D

Obito lay in the dark, dusty space above the armory check-in area, wedged between the support beams. He mentally ran through the plan one last time.

It was a very basic one. A small team of ANBU had tracked the Kiri hunter-nin retreating toward the western border countries. Once they crossed over, they would be much harder to find.

Obito would jump to a secluded area they’d camped at one time after the Kannabi bridge mission. From there, he could move along the border until any clues turned up.

If he found the hunters, he would follow and wait for an opportunity to steal the book back. If nothing else, maybe the ANBU would provide a good distraction.

But if nothing turned up, he would return home. That was the deal.

Obito closed his eyes and concentrated on where he wanted to land. He was careful not to make any noise or movement when he slipped back into his kamui dimension.

Without stopping to pause, afraid to feel the drain hit before leaving, Obito tried to step out.

In that moment, something in the world shifted strangely. He tried pushing forward, but lost his balance in the dark in-between. His heart stuttered. A wave of dizziness overtook him. Obito pressed a hand to his chest and fell back into the solid world.

He’d re-materialized high above a steep, rocky hill. He only had a second to take everything in before he hit the ground feet-first and slipped. Gravel and sharp stones dug into his legs as he slid uncontrollably, sending a wave of rocks tumbling down with him. Obito hissed and managed to push himself back to his feet and hop down to the rapidly approaching grass below.

He stumbled a little, but managed to stay upright. After landing and regaining his balance, Obito looked around.

The scenery around him was muddy and bland. It didn’t seem like the Land of Fire’s vibrant forests, nor did it look like the lush grasslands that gave the Land of Grass its name. He’d fallen out somewhere along the way.

He’d felt the rejection coming, but he chose to fall out in the regular world instead of within kamui. Despite what he told Tobi, he wanted to recover outside, where he could at least keep searching.

Obito picked up a rock with his good hand and squeezed it to see if he could push it through the space between. Nothing happened. He tossed the rock away.

A short distance away, the land continued its slope downward, gravel making way to short, brown grass. Obito walked to the edge of the descent to get a better look into the distance.

Below, the slopes all around the area were ribboned with flat, tilled strips of land completely barren of whatever had once grown there. In the distance, he could see a cluster of low, round stone buildings. Enough for a small village.

Obito hesitated. If he’d landed on the Fire side of the border, he could ask for help, or at least figure out where he was. But on the other side—the lands of Rivers, Rain, and Grass were not hospitable to outsiders. Especially ones from the Five Greats.

But all he needed was a clue. Something to point in the right direction. Then, he could go wherever he needed once he was capable of using kamui again.

Obito untied his hitai-ate and put it in the belt pouch underneath his cloak. He’d chosen a cloak long enough to hide his gear and weapons. The air was chilly and the sky was heavy with clouds, so at least it wouldn’t seem out of place.

He steeled his resolve and started walking down the slope toward the village.

* * *

Tobi stood in the same spot a long time after his younger self was gone, letting the silent apartment settle around him, letting the early morning creep closer to dawn. Standing still did not bother him. He’d had plenty of practice in recent months.

His singular, stolen eye was useless in a fight, but it was enough for taking in the details he’d long forgotten.

It was also a bitter reminder of what Orochimaru had done.

And now there was _this_ unusual situation.

The place was almost exactly the way he remembered it, yet not quite. Everything seemed… smaller.

His memory of the apartment was like a monochromatic film disintegrated with age, a far cry from the solid world around him. Even in the early-morning dark, everything looked saturated with color and texture compared to the pale kamui dimension.

Tobi noticed a small crockpot plugged in on his kitchen counter—clearly the source of the delicious smell he’d noticed since they arrived. He walked over to it with a sense of mild curiosity. He’d never been much for cooking, and he couldn’t remember owning one of those.

The smell that wafted out when he lifted the lid brought back a feeling he couldn’t quite place. It was like nostalgia, or memory, only vaguer.

Tobi put the lid back on. He hadn’t eaten in years. Better to leave it for someone who actually needed it.

He walked into his—into Obito’s room. It, too, was familiar and strange.

Tobi drifted over to the desk. He froze momentarily when he spotted a framed picture of their old team. He reached out slowly to touch the frame. Then he laid the photo facedown on the desk.

He sat on the bed and opened the window, shifting to lean out and get a good look at the street below. It was growing light. The civilians of the Uchiha district would start their daily business soon if everything hadn’t been thrown off by the attack.

As his younger self, he’d be able to walk around the village freely. For a moment, he considered it, tried to think of an excuse that might work. ‘He’ was supposed to stay in bed, but it wouldn’t be too unbelievable for him to shirk that advice.

Tobi closed the window with a sigh. He’d be good, for now.

But not _too_ good. Remembering suddenly, he got up and went over to the corner of his room where a tatami mat hid a small compartment under the floor.

He lifted the mat and pulled out the same weathered metal box he remembered, the place he’d once hidden treasures he was too embarrassed to let anyone see. Even though he’d done the exact same thing, Tobi smirked.

He expected to find the same things he’d always kept in the box—a pen that Rin had let him borrow, confession letters he was always too cowardly to send, his detailed plans for becoming Hokage (complete with diagrams), or even some risky reading material.

Tobi opened the hinged lid—and paused when he didn’t see any of those things.

The box was mostly empty. All it contained were a few instant-film photographs. On top of them lay a black armband with the katakana ‘ _to_ ’ printed on it in white. And that was all.

Of course. This version of him didn’t need a box hidden in the floor. He had the entire kamui dimension at his disposal.

Tobi put the armband aside to look at the handful of photos. There were pictures of Team Minato he’d never seen before, moments he didn’t recognize because he’d never had them.

The team at Minato’s house. Them at a hotpot restaurant. Then a picture of Obito giving a triumphant thumbs-up beside a knife-throwing target. And for some reason, Obito playing shogi against a tiny version of Itachi—and judging by his scowl, losing badly.

Tobi paused over the last photo. Naruto was on the right side of the frame, grinning so widely it stretched the whisker marks on his cheeks. Further back on the left side, Minato looked caught off guard. His hand was up, blurred by motion.

That made sense. Minato wouldn’t want proof of Naruto’s existence laying around if they were trying to keep it secret. Considering that, how had this picture escaped?

Tobi flipped it over. ‘ _First family gathering at home!!’_ was written on the back in round, feminine handwriting. It seemed Kushina had found a new hobby sometime in the last four months.

Tobi returned everything to the box and fitted the tatami mat back over it.

Then he heard someone knock at the front door.

He was on his feet in an instant.

Senses alert, he crept into the living room to listen. He knew the old landlady had a spare key. Anyone else might simply go away if he pretended to be asleep.

The knock came again.

“Obito?”

The sound of his real name fell easily and naturally, but for a moment, Tobi couldn’t move. He was rooted in place by memory, the old water-stained images coming into sharp, unforgiving focus.

It was Rin.

* * *

Obito made his way into the small village cautiously, looking back and forth with as little head-turning as he could manage with a bandaged eye.

There was no one in the street. The windows of the buildings were dark and dusty. The entire place was abandoned.

Obito stopped in the middle of the village. It was obvious there was no one to talk to there. Whatever had made these people leave, they weren’t coming back any time soon.

Now what?

The low clouds rumbled. A few drops fell down from the sky, and it quickly turned into a light sprinkle. Obito put up the hood of his cloak and turned back the way he came.

“Alright, Kiri spy!”

Obito whirled around to the source of the voice. He sidestepped with barely enough time to spare as a sword came swooping down where he had been standing and embedded into the ground.

He only had a moment to take in his attacker’s face—an older teen with unfamiliar face markings and an Amegakure hitai-ate. The Ame shinobi inhaled and spat out a stream of quicklime that quickly covered Obito’s feet.

“Ugh!” Obito made a face and tried to pull his feet up. They were already stuck to the ground. He phased through the goop and backed away. Some of it stuck to his shoes, but he could move. That small use of his kamui left him feeling dizzy.

The shinobi held his sword up in a defensive position, eyes narrowed. “Who are you?”

Obito took another step back. There was no time for this. Clearly, he’d gone the wrong way. Maybe he was close enough to the border to make it back.

Obito turned to retreat, but stopped when he found himself facing a whole group of people. He hadn’t noticed them at all before now.

There were about ten Ame shinobi, all wearing the same long gray coat. At the front of the group, three of them stood in front of the others.

“Not another step,” said the man in the middle with orange hair. “You’re outnumbered, so there’s no point fighting.”

The rain started coming down harder, but the Ame shinobi didn’t seem to mind.

Obito knew he needed to escape, but one of the shinobi flanking the man caught his attention. His vibrant red hair covered most of his face, but Obito could see his unusual eye, purple with rings radiating out from the center.

Obito had seen something like it once before, in the future timeline, in the face of his older self from that world.

He knew what it was. Tobi and Naruto had told him about the Rinnegan when they were teaching him about Akatsuki. They told him their leader lived in Amegakure.

But something didn’t seem right. Didn’t that group come about after the war? That was the way Tobi made it seem, but then, he’d never been completely clear about it.

“Who are _you?_ ” Obito asked confusedly.

“That’s what we want to know!” the swordsman snarled from behind him.

The orange-haired man held up a hand. “Easy. Answer our questions, and no harm will come to you. My name is Yahiko. We are Akatsuki.”

* * *

Tobi waited, but the knock didn’t come again.

He took several steps backward into his room. He quietly closed the door and climbed into bed. He shifted to find a comfortable position that would let him continue listening.

For a moment, he thought Rin must have left. But then he heard the front door open.

“It’s fine,” he heard Kakashi say. “Why should we wait for Hina-baa if we can get in by ourselves?”

“Oh, this probably shouldn’t be left on,” Rin said from the kitchen. “But he might be hungry when he wakes up. I’ll ask Hinako-san what she wants to do with it before we leave.”

There was a beat. Then Tobi heard a quick, quiet knock on his bedroom door. Someone came in.

Tobi cursed mentally. He didn’t want to talk to them, but he didn’t want to fake sleep either. Better to get it over with. He rolled over and sat up, blinking and rubbing his left eye with his bandaged hand.

“Sorry to wake you,” Rin said. “We came to see how you were doing. Were you able to sleep through the night?”

Tobi watched silently as Rin and Kakashi sat next to his bed on work stools someone had put there. Kakashi’s right arm was in a sling. Both he and Rin were in off-duty attire. The team had probably been grounded indefinitely after their injuries.

Even with all Tobi knew, it was hard to believe they were right there,close enough to reach, exactly the way he remembered them.

No—not _exactly_. Only a few memories of them were perfectly true to life. The way he’d seen them through the Mangekyou Sharingan, the images of blood and pain and death once etched into the back of his eyes.

Everything else, he was quickly realizing, was covered in rust.

“I think he’s still asleep,” Kakashi said.

“I’m fine,” Tobi said. He wanted to look away from them, but he couldn’t. If he looked long enough, maybe he would remember them as they were now. “I woke up after a while and had some soup Hina-baa brought me, but I’ve been asleep mostly. I’m feeling a little better now, but my kamui still doesn’t work.”

“What do you plan on doing from here?” Rin asked. “To be honest… I was worried you might try going after them on your own.”

“He probably would have if his power worked.” Kakashi gave a long-suffering sigh.

“I’m… not sure. I’ll worry about healing first, then I’ll decide what to do.”

Rin looked surprised. Kakashi looked dubious. But they didn’t challenge him on it.

“We went to check at the hospital, but they’re still pretty backed up. They’re still prioritizing life-threatening injuries and those who need constant watch. It might be a few more days before anyone can see you.”

“Alright. Thanks,” Tobi said neutrally. Going to the hospital to be examined was the last thing he needed right now. It could take forever for all he cared.

Rin’s brows scrunched with worry. “I could take a look at it again, if you want—”

“ _No,_ ” Tobi snapped.

Rin blinked, taken aback.

Tobi looked away. “It’ll be fine soon. You’ve already done enough.”

“Oi, don’t take it out on Rin! She’s done nothing but try to help. We both have.”

“You don’t have to. It seems like no matter what I do, I’m nothing but a burden to you. I’m sick of it.”

Tobi said it to deflect, to draw attention away from his eye. But an odd feeling welled up when he said it. Like _he_ was the one saying it. Not the pretend version of himself.

Somehow, he was caught off guard when Kakashi grabbed him by the front of his shirt.

“Kakashi!” Rin cautioned.

“If that’s really how you feel, you know what to do about it, don’t you?”

Tobi’s hands itched for a weapon, but he made himself stay still. “What? Are you going to say, ‘be stronger so we don’t have to keep rescuing you’?”

“That’s part of it,” Kakashi said. “But everyone knows you’ve been working hard. Even the Uchiha Head is impressed with you. Yet you’re holding yourself back. You’re afraid of something. You used to be—”

“It’s okay.” Rin stood to pull Kakashi’s hand away. “We don’t think of you as a burden, Obito. We just want to see you get better. If something hurts, you don’t have to hide it. I’m watching you, remember?”

Tobi wasn’t actually injured—but he suddenly felt an overwhelming sense of vertigo. He leaned forward, pressing his forehead to his knees.

Agreeing to come here was a mistake.

He’d vastly underestimated the situation.

Remembering the past was nothing like actually being in it.

But now he was stuck. There was no escaping this world until his younger self came back.

“I need some time alone,” he said. “I can’t warp, so you don’t have to worry about me running away.”

There was a pause. Tobi didn’t raise his head to look at them again.

“Alright,” Rin said. “Hina-baa said she’d bring you more food later today. Get some rest in the meantime.”

“But—” Kakashi started.

“You too, Kakashi. Don’t think I didn’t notice you at the training field this morning. I know you’re frustrated, but getting hurt more won’t prove to the Sandaime we’re ready to be sent out.”

Tobi finally looked up in time to see them leaving. Kakashi was rubbing the back of his head. As he walked out, Tobi heard him grumble, “I wasn’t using my arm…”

Rin paused in the doorway to his room and looked back. “If you do feel like talking, we’ll gladly listen. I hope you know that.” Then she quietly slid the door closed behind her.

Tobi stayed motionless for a long time.

Through sheer coincidence, he’d stumbled into a situation that was almost exactly what he always wanted. The very thing he’d spent years toiling relentlessly for.

So why?

_Why?_

Why did it feel like he’d landed in a new kind of prison?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Both chibito and tobito in this chapter: the risk I took was calculated, but man, I'm bad at math.
> 
>  _Ch 7: wolves in sheep's clothes_ will post a week from now or less, depending on the editing (next week might be A Lot, so I can't guarantee a specific day right now). See you next time!


	7. wolves in sheep's clothes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> posted 11/6/10

The rain fell in a steady patter around Obito and the Ame shinobi.

Obito wasn’t sure what to do. These people called themselves Akatsuki, but they weren’t the same Akatsuki he and Naruto were trying to fight in the future.

The one who’d attacked first had accused him of being a Kiri spy. They might know something about Kiri’s movements. But was it worth getting involved with them without knowing how it might alter the future?

They were waiting for him to say something.

“Where did you come from?” the blue-haired woman beside Yahiko prompted.

Obito threw all caution to the wind. “I’m—I’m not a spy. I’m actually chasing some Kiri hunter-nin right now! I don’t want any trouble with you guys. But they took something from me, and it’s really important I get it back. Have they been through here? Which way did they go?”

“You’re chasing them? Does that mean you’re from Konoha?” Yahiko narrowed his eyes.

Obito took a step back. He was too far behind, too unsure about what was going on. “…No. But they came through my village.”

“You hesitated just now! You’re clearly lying,” the swordsman behind him accused.

“No, I’m not! I just don’t like telling strange gangs of shinobi who I am!”

Yahiko stepped forward, and the two flanking him followed. “Alright, everyone calm down. Kyuusuke, you’re not helping. Let’s call a truce, okay?” He held out his palms to show they were empty. “For the past few weeks, those hunter-nin have been squatting in abandoned towns like this one all along the border. We heard about their attack on Konoha. Whoever you are, we won’t harm you, and maybe we can give you the information you want. But in exchange, you have to tell us who you really are. No aliases. No tricks.”

Obito hesitated. Yahiko waited, gaze fixed, unwavering.

Obito still didn’t know what was going on, but it seemed like _this_ Akatsuki wanted to cooperate. If the hunter-nin were using abandoned border towns to hide out, maybe that’s where they fled back to. Maybe there were more clues to find here.

He glanced at Kyuusuke as the swordsman walked around to stand with the others. Then he looked back at Yahiko.

If he told the truth, they might attack. If he lied, they wouldn’t help. Either way, he might get chased out and end up at square one.

He cursed mentally.

“My name is Uchiha Obito,” he muttered.

Recognition among the group was immediate. He saw them shift, frown, murmur. Obito wished, not for the first time, that his clan’s name was a little less infamous. Hiding it would be a significant lie. Saying it ended up… like _that_.

“If it’s true, we can’t let him go,” a man with a topknot said from within the group. “The Uchiha wreaked havoc on our lands. That’s why there’s never enough damn food to go around now.”

Obito took another step backward.

“Be quiet,” Yahiko said firmly. “That was in the second war. We’ve had decades to get back on our feet, but that hasn’t stopped us from slipping even further.”

“This was a bad idea,” Obito said. “I’m just gonna—” He turned around and pushed into the space between.

He was only trying to escape into kamui. And for a moment, he succeeded. The world around him became the darkness of in-between.

But then he felt a stab in his eye and his heart lobbed off-key once more, and he fell back out into the ordinary world as if the dimension had spit him out.

Obito landed in the mud, dizzy nausea sweeping over him. He rolled on his elbows and willed his body to move, to get up, but everything felt heavy and unwieldy. His connection to the world was weakening in the wrong way. He saw several pairs of feet walking toward him before his arms gave out and dropped him back to the ground. Unconsciousness consumed him.

* * *

Tobi stood at the top of the stairs leading down to the tailor’s shop.

He’d asked Rin and Kakashi to leave him alone, but somewhere around the third or fourth hour of staring at the far wall, staying another minute in his room suddenly seemed intolerable.

Maybe the shock had worn off, or maybe it was a sort of morbid curiosity. Knowing his younger self wouldn’t want him wandering around made it all the more tempting.

He had a sense that he wanted to find something, or confirm something, but he wasn’t entirely sure what that ‘something’ was.

Tobi walked silently down the stairs and into the narrow side hallway outside the shop. He paused beside the unmarked door that led to the back room. He’d forgotten about it. When he lived here before, he usually went in through the shop front.

Tobi half-expected the side door to be locked, but it opened easily when he tried it.

He stepped through the door and found himself in the old lady’s workshop. Sewing tables lined the edge of the room, and projects at all stages of completion were everywhere.

Memories came drifting back to him from far away as he walked by the tables. He remembered the old lady sinking herself further and further into work to fill the void of losing people. Her apprentice had been lost to the war first. After his own ‘death’, she had moved into the apartment upstairs to continue working longer and longer hours.

Everyone had their own method of escaping reality.

Tobi pushed past the curtain into the main storefront. There were only a few patrons browsing.

The tables and displays were not very different from the last time he’d visited the place.

That night, the lights were out in the shop. It was well past closing time. But the workshop was lit up, awake like its restless owner.

Tobi ran a hand over the garments hanging on racks as he walked through. That night, a lot of them were overturned, works of art caught in the fray, torn and ruined. The old lady was stronger than he’d expected. It was messy.

But before he left, he’d taken a long coat with the Uchiha crest emblazoned on it. Maybe it was an odd moment of sentimentality. But her work was truly unrivaled in all the nations.

“Obito-chan?”

Tobi dropped his hand to his side and turned. Hinako came around a circular rack with a dress draped over her arm.

“What are you doing out of bed? Rin-chan said you didn’t want to be disturbed.”

“I don’t want to sleep anymore,” Tobi said.

“Well, that must be a good sign.” Hinako shuffled the clothes on the rack and carefully hung up the dress. “Itachi-chan came by not long ago. He wanted to see if you were alright, and he said thanks for helping him during the attack. What did you do?”

Tobi had no idea what he did. “Nothing much. His parents probably told him to come by, to be polite.”

Hinako frowned. “Didn’t you know? The Clan Head and his wife left with the first wave. I haven’t heard the latest reports from today, but they should be breaking through the lines soon.” She chuckled. “When we went home after the attack, Kushina just about kidnapped Ita-chan from that empty estate to look after him herself. She’s not too happy about being left behind.”

That made sense. The village was attacked right after they sent one of their jinchuuriki out to battle. Of course the Sandaime wanted to keep the other close by.

“I’m going out.” Tobi turned away.

“Wait—where? You’re supposed to be on bedrest.”

“I’ve been cooped up for too long. I just want to take a short walk.”

“Oh… I suppose that’s alright. Don’t push yourself. Come back right away if you get tired.”

“I will.” Tobi waved and pushed open the door to the street.

* * *

Tobi looked all around as he walked through the Uchiha district. It was obvious something had happened recently. Not all the shops were open, and he saw more than one worried face as he passed by.

But in his disguise, hardly anyone spared him a glance. Most of the people still around were either old, young or injured. He looked young _and_ injured, so there was nothing notable about his presence.

The paper seal used to pull off his disguise was impressive in its own right. Simple, but effective. The seal stabilized the illusion, drawing on his energy to maintain it without interruption, regardless of the situation. It would keep going until he dispelled it or died.

In the District, everything looked as normal as could be expected under the circumstances. There weren’t many people left that he knew, except for the elderly he used to help sometimes. Most of the ranked Uchiha were off fighting Kiri.

Tobi paused in front of the gates that led from the District out into the rest of the village.

He could visit Kushina and the little Itachi. But being around Kushina might not be wise. There was always the chance she could tell someone was using her fuiinjutsu. Then there was the Kyuubi.

Tobi walked out the gate onto the main street, but he stopped when Kakashi jumped down from the wall and landed in front of him.

“Where are you going?”

Tobi let out a long breath through his nose. “Nowhere. I’m taking a walk. Is that alright with you?”

Kakashi stared. “You’re not very convincing.”

“Yeah?” Tobi kept his posture casual, but internally, he wished he had a weapon. He’d left everything at home, knowing his younger self wouldn’t put on weapons just for a quick jaunt around town.

Had he been found out somehow?

Kakashi crossed his arms. “I can tell you’re planning to chase after that book. I don’t know _how_ , but it’s obvious you’re trying to come up with a way.”

Tobi laughed. He couldn’t help it. Kakashi looked so small and self-righteous. And then he looked insulted, which was even funnier.

“Well? Am I wrong?” he demanded.

“And you were going to stop me? Afraid I’ll get us all in trouble?”

Kakashi gave a fierce scowl. “This isn’t a joke. I told you, it’s my job to protect this team while Minato-sensei is away. I told you we should wait. As in, _all_ of us. Were you too dense to understand it the first time?”

Tobi didn’t remember Kakashi saying that. It must have been to his other self—who was, clearly, too dense to understand it.

Tobi had crossed his arms as the last of the chuckles subsided. Now he straightened his posture and let his hands fall. “Who would have thought? You’re already changing, too.”

“Stop trying to deflect. Tell me what you’re planning. We can work together, but we need to be smart about it.”

Tobi looked down at his bandaged palm and curled his hand into a loose fist before relaxing it. He considered what to say. They wouldn’t believe it if he said the book no longer mattered.

Would they be upset to learn he’d already left?

After a while, Tobi said, “I really wasn’t going anywhere. We won’t get very far if my kamui’s not working. We’d never be able to catch up.”

“Obito—”

“Kiri will surrender soon. When they do, it’ll be that much harder to justify going after them. Minato-sensei will want us to recover the book, but even _he_ would have to do it behind everyone’s backs. So if I could go now, without waiting for him to say so, I would. Then he wouldn’t have to make that decision.”

Kakashi looked around. Then he murmured, “Naruto is… Minato-sensei’s son, isn’t he? From a different dimension.”

“Yes.” Tobi tilted his head to one side. He wasn’t sure how much Rin and Kakashi knew, but that was his younger self’s problem. “I don’t want to wait, but what other choice do I have? By the time we could run there, the war will be over and they’d be gone.”

“You just seemed…”

Tobi turned back toward the entrance to the District. “If I come up with something, I’ll let you know. Okay? Besides, you’re the one who’s good with plans. If I tried rushing in by myself, it would be a disaster.”

Kakashi trailed behind as Tobi walked back into the District. He wasn’t sure if the young jounin was convinced or not. But if stalking him around the village made Kakashi feel more productive, then so be it.

* * *

Obito opened his good eye slowly. His head felt like a lead weight. He was in a gray, blank room with nothing in it but the cot he lay on.

His mud-caked clothes were replaced with plain navy pants and a gray shirt. Obito noticed his leg holster was gone, and he quickly felt for his pouches and other weapons.

Everything was missing.

Good thing he was secretly a walking warehouse.

He wasn’t sure where he was, but judging by the situation and his missing weapons, Akatsuki had taken him somewhere.

Hopefully they hadn’t delivered him to Amegakure’s leader, Hanzou, a shinobi notoriously harsh with outsiders.

But he wasn’t chained up, so that was a good start.

Obito’s hand brushed over his chest. He paused when he felt the stone attached to the necklace under his shirt. He pulled it out and held the stone in his hand, but it didn’t give off anything except his own body warmth. He squeezed the stone until it dug into his hand, but he couldn’t sense anything from it.

He pressed the fist that held the stone to his forehead.

“I’m sorry,” he murmured. “I don’t know what I’m doing. I’m making a mess out of everything.”

“Who are you talking to?” someone asked brightly.

Obito started and looked toward the voice. It was a young woman with long brown hair, wearing the gray coat uniform this version of Akatsuki wore. She’d been silently standing on his blind side.

“My name’s Shio,” she said in the same bright tone. “I’m on guard duty. You were hurt pretty badly. Did the hunter-nin do that to you?”

“Yes.” Obito stood up from the cot quickly. “I told you guys, I don’t want any trouble with you. Please let me go.”

If the situation got bad, he’d probably rested long enough to escape to kamui. But he wanted to reserve some strength for hunting the Hunters, if possible.

“You’re not a prisoner or anything. The bosses just wanted someone to be there when you woke up. I’m supposed to tell you this is our headquarters. It’s in the hidden village, but you should be safe from the other factions here. Just to be sure, we took all your Konoha stuff. And your Uchiha jacket. Sorry.”

“We’re in the city?” Obito yelped. Being in the very heart of the Salamander’s stronghold did not feel safe. According to the stories, it had been many years since any shinobi from the outside had seen it and lived to talk about it.

Shio gave a small laugh. “It’s okay. Things here work a little differently than where you’re from. We know how to handle it. And you might be able to tell us something about Kiri. You’re the first real lead on them we’ve had.”

A knock sounded on the door twice, then it opened. The man who stepped in was bald, large and broad—many times Obito’s size, and large enough to block the door just by standing in it.

“This is Daibutsu.” Shio gestured to the man. “He’s the one who carried you all the way here. It was his turn to stand guard outside. Hey Dai-chan, he’s awake! See?”

“How do you feel?” Daibutsu rumbled. He sounded like what Obito imagined a mountain’s voice would sound like—slow and steady.

“Fine… uh, sort of. For now.” Obito rubbed the back of his head confusedly.

“What _was_ that thing you did? Sure looks like it backfired.” Shio leaned forward to examine Obito’s face.

“Shio. The leaders wanted to speak with him as soon as he woke up,” Daibutsu said.

“Oh. Are they back from this morning?”

“They should be. If not, we know where to wait.” Daibutsu stared down at Obito and a smile that, despite everything, managed to be reassuring. “Do you feel well enough to walk?”

“I think so,” Obito said hesitantly.

“Your sandals are there at the foot of the cot. We can give back the rest of your things after you’ve talked with the leaders.” Daibutsu motioned for him to follow. Obito looked back at Shio, who gave a little wave. He hastily bent to put on his sandals.

They walked out into a long, dim hallway made from gray concrete blocks. At the end of it was another door that led to a flight of stairs.

“Can you make it up there?” Daibutsu pointed up.

Obito craned his head upward. The stairwell went up dizzyingly far. The only light came in through thin windows going all the way up, so it was difficult to see the end.

“Running on the outside of the tower is faster. But this is safer,” Daibutsu explained. “We have a lift. Or I can carry you.”

“I don’t need someone to carry me,” Obito said hotly.

Daibutsu studied him for a moment. Then he turned away, and Obito followed.

There was a grille covering a compartment in the back of the stairwell. Daibutsu pushed it open, and the metalwork screeched and groaned. The lift compartment was a simple rectangular box made of interlocking strips of metal.

“Get in.”

Dubious, but certain he could escape if anything went awry, Obito stepped into the lift. He’d never been in one before, and was equal parts curious and wary.

Daibutsu squeezed his gigantic frame in next to him. The man’s bulk took up two-thirds of the lift. He did something with the levers on the side, and the grille clattered shut. Obito held on to the railing as soon as they started moving.

The lift was clanky and slow. Obito didn’t understand how it managed to carry both of them without giving out entirely. The floor was nothing but a worn metal grate, and the space below was a dizzying dark void. When the compartment jerked and stuttered to a halt, ages later, his stomach flopped. But Daibutsu pushed the grille in front of them to the side, and they were on a new floor.

Obito followed him onto the landing, feeling on-edge. He still wasn’t exactly sure what was going on.

“These leaders who want to talk to me,” he said as Daibutsu made for the stairwell door. “Do you mean that guy I talked to earlier? Yahiko?”

“Yes.” Daibutsu opened the door. They emerged into another hall. “He does most of the talking. But they make decisions together. The other two are named Konan and Nagato.”

Obito stopped walking. He felt a chill.

It _was_ them.

But what did that mean? He mentally cursed Tobi for never explaining that the group already existed. When had he gotten involved?

But they betrayed Tobi in the future. Naruto said they helped him in the future, too. So maybe they could be trusted in a world where Tobi—where he wasn’t around to be a bad influence.

Maybe he was the only untrustworthy one here.

Daibutsu paused when he noticed Obito had stopped. He looked back at him. “Don’t be nervous. If they wanted you gone, we would have dropped you off on the Fire side of the border.”

“Comforting.”

“Alive,” Daibutsu clarified. “Whenever possible, Akatsuki does not kill.”

“What?”

Daibutsu motioned to a set of double doors. “This is it. Please wait here, and they’ll be around to help you soon. I have duties to get back to.”

“…Okay.”

Daibutsu gave him a nod and started back toward the stairwell. Obito was left staring at the double doors.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _Ch 8: reputation is a bitter harvest_ will post when I get the editing for it done! See you next time!


	8. reputation is a bitter harvest

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> posted 11/13/20
> 
> Insert obligatory Among Us joke here

Obito stood in front of the double doors to the place where the Akatsuki leaders wanted to meet him. He rested his hand on the handle of one and hesitated.

He still had no idea what to expect from them. Would it do something irreversible to his timeline that he couldn’t quite figure out?

There was still time to leave. They had taken his gear, but he had plenty more inside kamui. And he’d already learned something about where to find the hunter-nin. He could search any abandoned villages along the border and hope they’d stopped there to lay low for a while.

But Akatsuki was against the Hunters, too. Maybe they knew something important.

And maybe he could learn something about their leaders—even if he didn’t understand how they had changed for the worst.

Obito turned the door handle and entered.

The room beyond—if _room_ was the right word for it—took up what had to be the entirety of this floor. It stretched from end to end, enclosed on three sides, with the entire back wall missing. Rain fell in a constant torrent, sending fresh air and echoes into the space. An uncovered balcony extended a little way beyond the edge of the building.

Nearer to the opening, but covered from the rain, there was a large rectangular table that looked like it was constructed from a slab of concrete. Chairs were scattered haphazardly around, but only three figures sat around the table.

Obito walked forward nervously. The floor above was held up with thick round columns interspersed throughout, and the room was filled with shadows and the smell of rain.

He took a deep breath and strode up to the table. Yahiko, Nagato, and Konan looked up at him.

“Hey! Good to see you up,” Yahiko said with a grin. “If an Uchiha died and no one was around but us, the situation could get sticky.”

“I don’t understand.” Obito’s voice reverberated around the room, and he lowered it. “I thought Ame hated outsiders.”

Yahiko’s expression grew serious. “Don’t you think we have a reason to?”

“I—I didn’t mean that. I just meant… thanks for saving me.”

“Have a seat.” Konan gestured at a chair on the other side.

Obito sat across from them, his back to the open balcony. The empty space prickled the back of his neck. But sitting too close to the leaders wasn’t a comforting idea, either.

Yahiko cleared his throat. “As I said the other day, we’ve been tracking the Hunters, too. But there’s been a—”

“The other day?” Obito blurted, leaning forward. “Wait, how long was I out?”

“A little over 48 hours,” Konan said, looking past him to the sky outside.

“What? Oh _no_.” Obito sat back in his chair heavily. “Two days? Who knows where they could be by now?”

Yahiko gestured. “That’s what I’m trying to tell you. We first noticed them hiding in abandoned villages along the Fire border a few weeks ago. We had theories, but what you told us was the last piece to the puzzle. They were only using it as a way to sneak around Konoha’s defenses in the east. Now that’s done, they’re gone. We’ve continued looking, but there has been no sign of them since then.”

Obito slumped in his chair, deflated. From the start, he’d known it was a long shot. That the risk outweighed the probability of success. But he couldn’t just sit still. He couldn’t.

They had to be well on their way back to Kiri now. This was nothing but a dead end.

“So… what now?” he asked. “Why didn’t you guys dump me off on the Fire side if you have no reason to look for them anymore?”

“Partly out of curiosity.” Yahiko shrugged. “But I also figured you’d come right back if nobody told you. You were desperate enough to enter Rain territory in your condition to begin with.”

“What happened to you?” Nagato asked, making him jump. It was the first time Obito heard him speak up.

Obito put a hand over his bandaged eye. “I’m not exactly sure. One of the hunter-nin used poisoned knives. The medics gave me an antidote, but my body still has to recover. And another one of them did something to my eye. There’s a… technique I can use to travel more quickly, but now it drains me too much when I try using it.”

“You mean your doujutsu is messed up,” Yahiko guessed. “I’ve heard rumors that some Sharingan techniques need both eyes to work at full power. Our medics changed your bandages, but eye surgery is beyond anything we could do.”

“If you were that injured, why did you chase after those Hunters?” Konan asked. “The last we’ve heard, Konoha has retaliated by going after Kirigakure directly. Were you sent to retrieve what they took?”

There was a question implicit in her tone. They wanted to know what he was looking for. But they assumed it was something to do with the war.

Obito hesitated. “I’m… it’s not really…”

Yahiko laughed. “No way. You snuck out to go after them, didn’t you? You’re completely unauthorized to be here.”

Nagato was observing him. His stare was far more unsettling than the others. “What did they take from you? It must have been something important.”

Obito squeezed his eyes shut and curled his fist over his chest. He definitely would _not_ start crying in front of these strangers.

“It was… I can’t explain the whole thing, but there was a book, and… my friend’s life depends on it. If they destroy it, he’ll die. And others might, too.”

“What do you mean?” Nagato looked concerned.

Obito tried to meet his gaze, but he couldn’t. There was no guarantee he could trust them.

“Aniki!” Kyuusuke’s voice echoed through the room. Obito turned and saw him land on the open balcony. The man with the topknot landed behind him.

“Kyuusuke. Kie.” Yahiko stood from his seat. “What is it?”

The two approached. A pigeon was perched on Kyuusuke’s shoulder. Another pigeon was tucked into the tall collar of his coat. It picked at his long hair, but he didn’t seem to mind.

“That Uchiha kid is awake?” Kie stopped and stared at Obito.

Kyuusuke glanced at the others. “Maybe it’s better if he steps out a minute.”

“Or he should stay.” Kie walked across to Obito’s other side, grasping the hilt of his sword. It felt uncomfortably like being cornered. Kyuusuke tensed and rested his hand on the hilt of his sword, too, but he didn't move.

"What's going on?" Konan demanded.

Kie narrowed his eyes. “I know it’s against our policy, but we can’t let him leave this place alive. He’s too dangerous.”

“What?” Obito scowled.

“Him?” Yahiko gestured at Obito. “You’ll have to explain that one to me.”

Kyuusuke looked uncomfortable. “We did what you said, aniki. We looked into the kid’s identity. It turns out those hunter-nin might have been after _him_. He’s in the latest Bingo Book.”

“What are you talking about?” Obito demanded. But his pulse sped up. He could hear his heart beat in his ears.

Kie scoffed. “Don’t play dumb! You stole the Tailed Beast from Kiri. You and the Yellow Flash destroyed one of their best-guarded strongholds. They call you the Flash’s Shadow.”

“Nobody make a move.” Yahiko walked around the table. “Kyuusuke, let me see that.”

Kyuusuke pulled the Bingo Book from his back pouch and handed it over. Yahiko opened it from the earmarked page, brow furrowed.

Obito tried sensing the world between. To his relief, it was right within reach, ready for him to use. He’d rested for long enough. If he had to run, he could.

But first, he wanted to know what was in that Bingo Book.

* * *

Tobi set the covered casserole dish in the fridge next to the leftover soup, then pushed the door shut.

This time, it was one of his neighbors who had brought him a covered dish. Someone he barely remembered speaking to before. If his younger self didn’t return soon, he’d have to eat something just to keep anyone from getting suspicious.

Or concerned, he amended mentally. That was almost worse, because he hardly knew a way to defend against it.

What was taking so damn long?

Tobi drifted to the living room and sat on the old rickety couch that could be folded out into a bed. He couldn’t remember ever using it, though. He never had guests stay over. Having any visitor at all was odd.

Yes, he’d got along well with the elders, especially those in the District. But for the most part, he had been invisible. A nothing. He certainly didn’t expect people to keep bringing him food because they thought he was hurt.

Tobi leaned his head back and stared up at the ceiling.

Had he forgotten so much about his former life? Or was that the difference being a certified war hero made?

But the change in how others perceived him wasn’t the only odd thing Tobi had noticed in the past couple of days. There was a disconnect between his memories and reality.

In fact, he’d felt this same unsettled sensation some time before coming here. This world simply made it harder to ignore.

When his imprisonment within kamui first started, he’d been visited by the Rokudaime one time. They were negotiating with him to find a safe place to take the jinchuuriki.

The conversation hadn’t been about Tobi and his imprisonment. But once they were done, a version of Kakashi he’d never met stood in front of him. With sadness and resolution in his eyes, he told Tobi about the seal Madara had embedded into his heart.

Tobi lay a hand on his chest, frowning. He had always known Zetsu to be the vehicle for Madara’s will. But everything the Rokudaime told him had complicated the picture.

Orochimaru and Naruto had effectively caused the Zetsu to be destroyed. What did that mean for him?

Someone knocked the front door, bringing Tobi out of his thoughts sharply.

Tobi stood quickly. He felt the odd mixture of dread and interest that came whenever someone stopped by.

He just hoped they hadn’t brought more food.

No, it was worse than food. When he opened the door, he saw Rin and Kakashi.

They were somehow the easiest and trickiest ones to deal with.

Rin looked ecstatic. Even Kakashi seemed a little less dull-eyed than usual.

“What’s going on?” Tobi asked.

They walked in without waiting for an invitation, leaving Tobi with the open door. He couldn’t think of any good protests, so he closed it and turned back to them.

“Great news!” Rin was beaming. “Everyone did it! We won!”

“We… won,” Tobi repeated.

“The war?” Kakashi shook his head. “Kiri surrendered. It hasn’t been officially announced yet, but Minato-sensei sent us a message. They’re coming back home as soon as the treaty is finalized.”

“He didn’t give us all the details, but Minato-sensei was able to use markers he’d scattered in the sea around the village. He got past their defenses on the first try. The second wave still had to fight some, but it didn’t last too long after they got there.” Rin put the tips of her fingers together happily. “Sandaime-sama wants to meet with us to discuss what comes next for our team. Once Minato-sensei is named Hokage, I mean.”

Tobi walked back into the living room and sat back on the couch, rubbing his forehead.

Where the _hell_ was his younger self? How long would he have to keep this up? Would he be able to maintain his cover when Minato and Fugaku returned?

“When is the meeting?” he asked.

“Today. As soon as we’re ready.” Rin sat down next to him, on his blind side.

“I don’t want to go.”

Kakashi scoffed. “What kind of attitude is that? Did you wake up on the wrong side of the bed this morning? Staying awake ‘cause of bad dreams?”

“Kakashi!” Rin hushed him.

Tobi lowered his hand and examined Kakashi with interest. Had they all known? Obito made it sound like he’d done a good job hiding it. Like he’d had something to be embarrassed about.

“The meeting is today,” Rin repeated. “It’ll only be for a little while. It’s not a very formal thing. He just wants to congratulate us.”

Unbidden, Rin reached for the bandages around Tobi’s head. He jerked back.

“Obito?” Rin’s brow was furrowed when he turned to look. “I know it’s a hassle, but you need to have your bandages changed sometime if you don’t want your cuts getting infected. It doesn’t look like you’ve been keeping up with it at all.”

Tobi cursed himself and the whole world. The henge changed his appearance perfectly on a surface level, but it couldn’t change the fact that he was missing an eye.

He should have remembered to change the damn bandages.

“Sorry, I forgot. But I can do it myself.”

“Just let her do it. It’ll get done right and more quickly,” Kakashi said.

Well, the kid had said it was alright to tell them.

Not knowing what else to do, Tobi let Rin unravel the bandages around his head. He waited as the layers came off and revealed the smooth, undamaged skin of his disguise, contrasted with what simply wasn’t there. His empty eye socket.

He caught Rin’s expression of surprise before she withdrew from his sunken eyelid in shock. “What—what happened to your eye?”

Tobi looked aside at Kakashi, who seemed just as surprised and confused. His face above the mask had gone pale.

Tobi sighed. He had no idea when Obito would be back. And the kid _had_ said he could explain it to Rin and Kakashi if necessary. It would be a relief.

Strangely, the hardest part of it was having to disappoint them.

Tobi held up his hands. “You caught me. I’m not the Obito you know. I am an impostor.”

“What?” Rin still looked confused.

But Kakashi narrowed his eyes. His face went from shocked to deadly in a matter of seconds.

“Rin, get away from him.”

Tobi could see the calculation in Kakashi’s eyes. He was still injured. He no longer needed a sling, but his hand was still wrapped up. He and Rin were both unarmed.

Surprising. Tobi figured if anyone would be paranoid enough to bring weapons over to an ailing teammate’s home, it would be Kakashi.

“Come on—it has to be a joke, right?” Rin moved away, but she looked uncertainly between them.

“Yes and no.” Tobi leaned back casually. “I really am an impostor, but it’s not as bad as it sounds. It is fun to let Kakashi get worked up for a bit, though.”

Kakashi gave a thunderous scowl. He ran through a series of seals, slower than usual, but too quickly for most to see. He lowered his uninjured hand—

Kakashi blinked. Tobi had his hand clasped over Kakashi’s wrist, and with the other he pressed a kunai to Kakashi’s throat.

Though Tobi couldn’t use kamui anymore, he could still move fast enough to catch a kid off guard.

“That’s not a move you should be using indoors,” Tobi said with false cheeriness. “Nor should you use it around me, if you enjoy breathing. In fact, you shouldn’t be using it at all. Free advice.”

Kakashi was frozen by surprise. Tobi turned and threw him into the couch. It slid and tilted backward, two of the legs leaving the floor before righting itself again.

“Kakashi!” Rin cried.

“He’s fine. Only his pride is bruised.” Tobi brushed nonexistent dust off his clothes.

Kakashi rose from the couch with a little less grace than usual. “We need to get help.”

“Wait,” Tobi said calmly. Throwing Kakashi around left him feeling considerably refreshed. “Before you alert the authorities, you should know that this was all Obito’s idea. You were right, Kakashi. He did go after the book by himself. He left me in his place.”

“Oh _no_.” Rin placed a palm over her forehead.

“If that’s true, then who are _you?”_ Kakashi demanded, getting red-faced. “Shouldn’t the Uchiha be able to tell you’re someone else? And where did you even come from?”

“The book is a pathway to another world, but the kid can still use kamui to some extent. I’m from a different dimension.” Tobi rested a hand over his chest. “The reason they can’t tell is that I’m _not_ someone else. Only a different version of the same person.”

“You’re… a different version of Obito?” Rin said.

“From what I’ve seen, he and I have the same past, and our worlds are very similar. But I am older. And stronger.” He gestured toward Kakashi. “In my world, I am S-class. You should work harder if you don’t want to fall behind the younger me someday.”

“This is ridiculous,” Kakashi muttered.

“If you really are Obito, then you should be able to use his power. That should prove it.” Rin straightened her posture, looking determined.

Tobi lightly touched his empty eye. “Unfortunately, I can’t. I no longer have either of my original eyes. I gave one eye away when I thought I was about to die. The other was taken from me by force.”

“By who?” Rin looked horrified.

“Someone you better hope never finds their way into this world.”

“So you can’t prove it? That’s convenient.” Kakashi was still tense, holding a defensive stance.

Tobi shrugged. “Believe me or don’t, it makes no difference. But the younger me knew no one else could fool the sensors. Of course, all a medic would have to do is see I’m missing an eye. Stupid.”

Rin tucked a lock of hair behind her ear. “Then… where is he? Why did he take such a big risk without telling us?”

Tobi sighed. “I think he knew it would come to this, and banked on you vouching for me so no other medics would have to get involved. The real question is, are you willing to cover for him?”

Rin and Kakashi shared a look.

“When is he coming back?” Kakashi asked angrily.

Tobi paced near the window. He glanced out at the street. “I wish I knew. I’m starting to worry that I’ll be forced to relive my teenage years.”

Though his first time around had not been a particularly normal experience. Either way, it was no longer the appealing thought it may have once been.

“You don’t know when he’s coming back?” Rin looked at Kakashi again.

“No. All I know is he went west to follow the hunter-nin’s escape route. If he hasn’t found them by now, then he’ll have to give up and come back. He never wanted me to be here for very long.”

“What will we do about the meeting?” Kakashi said aside to Rin. “The Sandaime is expecting us soon. If he finds out we let an imposter roam free in the village…”

Tobi turned back to them. “Don’t worry about that. I had you fooled up until now, didn’t I? If my deception is discovered, you won’t take the blame. I’ll run away before anyone can see my real face, find Obito, and pretend he was my hostage all along. It’s not like I care what anyone in this world thinks of me.”

The suggestion came easily to him. To keep this thing a secret any longer, he’d need Rin and Kakashi’s trust. He needed them to believe he was the friend they’d always known, or something close to it.

Offering to take the blame was an easy way to do that. Words cost him nothing.

Rin bit her lip, then said, “We’ll make it through. Then we’ll try to figure out what to do next. We can’t let him take this risk all by himself.”

“Wait.” Kakashi walked toward the middle of the room to plant himself in front of Tobi. “If you really are the same person, tell me: how long were we at the Academy together?”

Tobi gave a sardonic smile. “Only one year, before you left us non-prodigies behind. You worked with Minato-sensei a few times before the four of us became an official team. It must have annoyed you so much when he treated us all equally from the start. _Bakashi_.”

The look on the young jounin’s face was priceless. Getting under Kakashi’s skin was even more fun than he remembered.

Rin went to stand beside Kakashi. “Okay. We have to work with the situation we’ve got. Other-Obito, are you coming along, or should we think up a good excuse?”

Tobi considered. “Wrap my eye again, and I’ll go. I’d rather not draw attention to myself. If he asks, I’m recovering well, but I still can’t use kamui. Hopefully that will buy us enough time for that little idiot to return.” He hesitated for a second, then he held his palms open toward the other two. “If it helps make this less strange, you can call me Tobi.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _Ch 9: target practice_ will post sometime when I get the editing done. See you later!


	9. target practice

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> posted 11/20/2020

In the end, the trio decided to go to the meeting. It was supposed to be quick and informal.

Tobi looked all around the Hokage tower as the team walked through its curved halls. Even without the Sharingan, he could see all the place’s vulnerabilities. They were run thin by the recent attack and the ongoing war.

Sending most of the village’s forces out may have been necessary to deal a final blow to Kiri, but the consequences were felt here. In the lack of personnel roaming the halls. In the exhausted guards at the front gate.

Some leaders might have postponed the second round after Kiri’s surprise attack, but Hiruzen had seen it for what it was—a scare tactic. A way for Kiri to use the minimum force for maximum effect. If he’d become tentative and held back, the matter would likely still be unresolved.

His lone concession was keeping the Kyuubi close. Leaving their home presence lacking was a risk. But it had turned out to be the _right_ risk. This time.

The team arrived at the Hokage’s office. There were no guards present, but the door was firmly closed. A voice came from within. It was immediately recognizable.

Orochimaru.

“Wait,” Tobi said very quietly, throwing out his hand to stop the other two.

“What’s your problem?” Kakashi hissed.

“Just do it. I’m the adult here, so shut up.”

“Yeah? How old are you?”

“Listen.” Tobi tilted his head to the side. He spoke in a barely audible tone. “Orochimaru is bad news, no matter what timeline it is.”

They listened. Orochimaru sounded annoyed. The flow of his complaints had not been interrupted by their whispering. In fact, he got louder as his agitation grew.

“It is tradition. Something familiar to bring people comfort. A return to things as they were. He may be the face of our victory, but he is also the face of the war.”

“If that was my primary concern, I would have named Tsunade,” Hiruzen said. He sounded surprisingly calm against Orochimaru’s insubordination. “But if I did that now, she would refuse. My decision is final.” He raised his voice to call out. “Come in, you three.”

They walked in cautiously. Orochimaru ignored them. His posture was stiff, distracted. He clearly wanted to stay and argue some more. Tobi stood beside him, placing himself between the snake and the other two.

Hiruzen acknowledged the team with a nod. Then he looked at Orochimaru. “That is all. Why don’t you enjoy the rest of your time off? Take care of your teammates. They need you now.”

There was an uncomfortable beat of silence as Orochimaru stared the Hokage down.

But then he relaxed. He was about to turn away.

Tobi grabbed his wrist. He pushed up his sleeve.

Nothing. Orochimaru’s skin was smooth and unblemished.

Orochimaru pulled his arm away in annoyed surprise. “What are you doing?”

Tobi gave a mischievous grin. “Just checking for hidden weapons. It kinda looked like you wanted to skewer the Sandaime.”

“O-Obito!” Rin stuttered.

Orochimaru frowned at him. He gave one last glance at Hiruzen, then stormed out.

Tobi relaxed. This Orochimaru was not _him_.

Hiruzen sighed. “That was not necessary, Obito-kun. Though, it was impressive you managed to catch him off guard. He must be really disappointed.”

“Is it alright to leave things like that, sir?” Kakashi asked.

“It’s nothing for you three to worry about. Still, I’d advise you not to pester a man whose ego has already been bruised.”

Kakashi stared across at Tobi ominously. Tobi shrugged. Orochimaru was a problem. But for now, it wasn’t _his_ problem.

Hiruzen folded his hands on the desk. “Let’s put that aside. How is your team doing? Are you recovering well?”

Rin nodded. “Yes, sir. Kakashi can go without a sling, as long as he doesn’t push himself. Obito still can’t use his doujutsu, but his cuts are healing well. The field medics decided that any damage done could wait for now. It doesn’t seem to have changed at all.”

“Do you think he will be able to use his Sharingan again?”

“It’s difficult to say, but yes. If his eye can be surgically repaired, he should go back to complete or near-complete capacity. But the recovery time might be long, and he shouldn’t overuse it.”

“I am sorry the Medical Corps is in such disarray right now. The attack was bad timing in more ways than one. Tsunade has even said she’s retiring as a shinobi completely, and no one can seem to convince her otherwise. There’s bound to be some level of disorganization. If we had more help, you all could have been back on track more quickly.”

“That would have been nice,” Rin said. “But I don’t mind looking after my team. Besides, we’ve won. We don’t have to patch people up and throw them back out anymore. There will be time for everyone to heal. Tsunade-sama, too.”

“Yes. We’ve won.” Hiruzen leaned back in his chair. “I meant to speak with your team about this earlier, before the attack threw everything off. As you know, I will be stepping down soon. It will be an adjustment period for everyone, but especially those directly affected by the shift, like you three. In the coming months, you will not be asked to do anything in particular besides rest and heal. Still, I thought I’d give you a chance to have any questions or concerns addressed. Is there anything you would like to know?”

“Do I have to keep training with Fugaku?” Tobi asked. Rin and Kakashi shot him looks.

Hiruzen laughed a little. “Considering your promotion is finalized and cannot be revoked by him now, that is up to you. Still, I think it would be smart to continue. My advice is simply talk to him when he returns. He will be willing to accommodate your needs while you are healing. He may be strict, but he is not a fool.” Hiruzen looked around at the others. “In fact, you should all seek out supplemental training whenever possible, now that we are moving past the war. Everyone will be watching you, expecting great things from the Hokage’s team. It is a real sort of pressure. One that, I admit, my own team has not been immune to.”

Tobi imagined his young, ignorant self ask if that was why Orochimaru was being passed over as the next Hokage. But he was not that ignorant—and neither was his younger self, anymore. So he said nothing.

“I have a question,” Kakashi said.

“Yes?”

“Now that the war is over, there will be a lot of internal missions coming up, right? Patrols and bringing supplies back, that sort of thing. Will we be allowed to take on any of these missions?”

Hiruzen tilted his hat back to look at Kakashi, slightly surprised. “As soon as you’re medically cleared, you’re free to take on any mission you want. But as Rin-chan said, it may be quite some time before the whole team can participate. It will… be better for Obito to remain here until he gets his strength back.”

Tobi noticed more regret in the old man’s tone than the situation called for. He immediately grew suspicious. There was something to this story beyond his supposed injury.

Time to play the eager rival.

Tobi put a fist to his chest. “There has to be something I can do! Sure, I can’t use kamui right now, but I’m feeling a lot better. I can carry supplies or deliver messages. I’m not sitting around while Kakashi is out helping everyone!”

Hiruzen sighed and adjusted his hat once more. “I suppose now is as good a time to tell you as any. We believe there was more behind Kiri’s attack than simply throwing our forces into disarray. That was the main goal, and they would have counted any additional damage as a win… but there is significant evidence _you_ were also a target. You’re lucky you weren’t too outnumbered, and that Kakashi stopped them from carrying you off.”

“They want revenge for the Sanbi, don’t they?” Kakashi said. Tobi looked back and forth quickly from Kakashi to Hiruzen, feigning surprise.

“They want to eliminate a proven threat,” Hiruzen said. “Since then, it’s been brought to my attention that they’ve put a bounty out for Obito in the latest Bingo Book. In a way, the three of you have always had that risk over you. But this time, it isn’t about your connection to Minato. This is an entry solely for him.”

Tobi muttered a curse. He should have guessed. Obito never told him the specifics of what happened in Kiri that day, but of course they would target him if they connected the dots of his identity.

“This isn’t a cause for undue concern,” Hiruzen assured them. “Many of our finest shinobi can be found in the Bingo Book. In fact, you can consider it a sign of how far you’ve come. But this creates two problems for the immediate future. First, being newly entered always brings with it a little extra attention. Eventually the less savory elements out there will move on, but for now, going out is a higher risk for you. Second, you need to recover. When your kamui works again, this will not matter very much. Now that you know, you can avoid getting caught unawares like this moving forward.”

“I… understand,” Tobi said.

“You two need to exercise caution, as well,” Hiruzen told Rin and Kakashi. “I don’t recommend either of you taking a solo mission for now. But, if Kakashi is cleared, you may take on a mission together. I will speak with the interim lead at the hospital about finding an Uchiha medic to see Obito.”

“Thank you, Sandaime-sama.” Rin bowed.

Hiruzen inclined his head. “If that’s all, you may go. But do not hesitate to come back if you have any other questions. Minato will return soon, and then I’ll be nothing but an old man.” He chuckled.

“Thank you.” Kakashi bowed, then turned to walk out of the office briskly.

“Kakashi!” Rin called and trotted after him.

“Thanks. I’ll be careful.” Tobi said, then followed after them. He wasn’t sorry for an excuse to get out of the Sandaime’s line of sight.

They fast-walked down the circular hallways, Kakashi leading with long, furious strides.

“What’s wrong, Kakashi?” Tobi taunted. “Jealous that I beat you to a Bingo entry?”

Kakashi whirled around, fury radiating from his every line. But Rin got to him first.

The sound of her slap connecting with Tobi’s face reverberated in the empty hall.

Tobi was too stunned to react. He stood still with his mouth slightly open, cheek stinging.

“Did you know this would happen?” Rin demanded. “Did you both know?”

Kakashi stood beside her and glared, as if daring him to protest.

Tobi blinked out of his shock and looked away from them.“…We didn’t know. Things have changed so much—it wasn’t like this before. But I should have guessed. I should have known.”

There was not much else he could say while they were still standing in the Hokage tower. Even understaffed, one never knew when someone might be listening in.

Someone…

Realization struck Tobi sharply. He looked behind him at the hall, the rows of doors that curved along the tower.

He wanted to know what the Bingo Book said. Depending on how detailed its contents were, there was a chance information about him had come from the inside. An ever-watching presence that would take as much interest his meteoric rise as Kiri.

He’d been so lost in memory that he’d forgotten the less-than-rosy aspects of the past.

It was a complication… but it could also be an opportunity.

“What?” Kakashi asked.

Tobi turned back to them. “Let’s have an unofficial team meeting before Minato-sensei gets back. We can lay out everything we know and figure out what we want to do moving forward. We’ll have to start making more of our own plans after he’s Hokage, anyway.”

* * *

Obito remained tense as Yahiko examined the Bingo Book.

Two days of sleep had given him more than enough rest to jump away if he had to. But he wanted to know what that entry said.

Yahiko began reading aloud. “‘Uchiha Obito. Tokubetsu jounin of Konoha. Current age, thirteen. Student of Namikaze Minato and Uchiha Fugaku.’” He paused at the names, then continued. “‘Previously a mere footnote to the Yellow Flash’s notoriety, he developed a doujutsu ability known only as ‘kamui’ in response to his capture by Kumo during the second phase of the Third War. Accolades records confirm he endured torture at the hands of Kumo’s Interrogation Squad without revealing any information, at the age of twelve.”

Yahiko’s voice got quieter. Obito wanted to laugh at the absurdity of it all, or run away, but he was too transfixed to do either.

“‘He was retrieved by Namikaze, and earned the name Flash’s Shadow after the two successfully raided Kiri’s infamous prison. Witnesses claim Uchiha stole and released the Sanbi by himself. His ability to warp through solid objects and over distances mimics Namikaze’s own space-time jutsu, but exact mechanisms and weaknesses are unknown. Approach with extreme caution.’” Yahiko lowered the book. “Kiri has a large bounty out for his live capture, under suspicion that he may possess the Sanbi. They have a separate bounty just for his eyes.”

“Now do you understand?” Kie said. “For all we know, he could have been the _reason_ they sent hunter-nin to Konoha. Ame will be next if we don’t get rid of him. Everyone in the world is out to find the Sanbi.”

“He does not possess the Sanbi,” Nagato said.

There was an uncomfortable pause. But no one questioned him.

Yahiko turned to Obito. “Are you really the person this page is referring to?”

“His picture’s in it right there,” Kyuusuke murmured.

Obito took a steadying breath. He wiped his sweaty palms. “Yes. All that stuff is true. Technically. But—I didn’t know they had a bounty on me! I didn’t mean to put you all in danger. I’ll leave right now if you want me to. I—it’s no use, anyway. The hunter-nin aren’t here anymore. I can’t catch up to them now.”

“They probably chased him here in the first place. And we almost got caught in it without realizing,” Kie said.

“No.” Yahiko looked at Obito’s page again. “I can smell a liar a mile away. The kid’s telling the truth. But what’s up with this designation? ‘To’? Is that a misprint?”

“What? Let me see that.” Obito reached for the Bingo Book. To his slight surprise, Yahiko let him have it.

It was creepy to see his registration picture staring up at him in a place like this. Obito examined the page and quickly saw what Yahiko was talking about.

_Squad Assignment(s): 7, to (unknown)_

Obito underlined the section with his index finger, but that didn’t help him understand it any better.

“It’s not a misprint,” he said carefully. “But I don’t know how it’s in this book, when I didn’t even know about it until a few days ago.”

“Most of the information in Bingo entries comes from inside sources,” Kyuusuke said. “That’s why it’s not officially distributed in many countries. If it’s on a form or document somewhere, it’ll find its way in.”

So maybe Minato had already started the process of making their new squad official.

Obito felt a pang of guilt.

“I don’t know what to do,” he murmured. “I’m out of leads and time, and now I know all of Kiri wants to gouge my eyes out. Probably should have guessed that sooner.”

Yahiko looked toward Konan and Nagato. “What do you guys think? You’ve been quiet over there.”

“We shouldn’t get involved with this,” Konan said. “I don’t think Kiri will come back any time soon. We should let him go and leave it at that.”

Nagato glanced at Konan, then Obito. “I wish we could help your friend. It isn’t likely, but if the Hunters come here again, we will find them. If that happens, we may chase them off so quickly they misplace something that doesn’t belong to them.”

Konan smiled, and Yahiko grinned.

Kyuusuke shrugged. “Okay, fair enough.”

Kie pressed his lips together, but didn’t argue. He took his hand off the hilt of his sword and relaxed his stance.

Obito rubbed the back of his head. “Thanks again for saving me. I mean, for not leaving me for the Hunters to find. I’ve been an idiot. Is there anything I can do to pay you guys back?”

“The Yellow Flash,” Yahiko said without hesitation. “Rumors that he’s the next Hokage get stronger every day. Make sure he keeps us little guys in mind when he goes swinging all that power around, alright? After all, a man can’t escape his own shadow.”

Konan had laughter in her eyes when she turned to Obito. “If you know Jiraiya of the Sannin, tell him hello for us.”

“Huh?”

Yahiko took the Bingo Book from Obito and put it in the pouch on his belt. Then he turned to face the pouring rain.

“You asked if we hated outsiders. It’s a lot more complicated than that. Sure, our first priority is Ame, and we want this place to become better. But I think someday, we can make the world better, too. Jiraiya-sensei is the one who gave us that dream.” He turned to smile back at him.

Obito gave a puzzled frown. “I saw him not long ago. His team was called back from the front for a while. But I’m not supposed to be here, so I don’t know how to tell him I met you guys.”

“Ah, that’s alright,” Yahiko said. “We’re making a name for ourselves. It’ll reach him someday.”

“Here are your things.” Konan put his pack up on the table. “Sorry we couldn’t be of more help. You should leave now, if you’re able to make it back.”

“I think I can. Thanks.” Obito picked up his worn pack and hitched it onto his shoulder.

He still felt a little confused. He wasn’t sure how all the dots connected between this Akatsuki and the one he’d heard stories about all along. But that was a problem for another day.

Obito’s heart sank at the prospect of going home empty-handed. But it was bad enough he’d stayed away this long. He didn’t trust Tobi to deal with Minato or the Sandaime.

Aware that everyone was watching him, Obito didn’t make any signs or movements. He just took a breath and dropped down into the floor.

To play it safe, he jumped to the rocky hill on the very edge of Rain where he’d first emerged.

He waited for a beat to see what effect the jump had on him.

Tiredness washed came on quickly in a wave, his whole body sapped of energy at once. He stumbled a little, and had to brace himself on a boulder.

But it wasn’t as bad as the last time. He was gradually getting used to the strain, just as he had every time he’d stretched the limits of his ability before.

Obito sat down to rest behind a large rock jutting from a ledge, giving himself cover on two sides. His stomach growled loudly, so he dug some tack out of his bag to gnaw on.

He ate enough to stop feeling shaky. It was late afternoon. Obito stood and slung his pack over his shoulder.

He paused. Just then, he got the odd sense he was being watched. Obito looked around at the desolate hill, the distant abandoned village, the scrub grass.

Then a white form started to emerge from the side of the ledge, making him backpedal wildly, gravel slipping underneath his shoes.

Obito gripped the strap of his pack hard when the figure became more recognizable. The being was eerie and completely devoid of features, save for the lines of its body that were shaped like white clay twisted upon itself. The lines came together to give it an offset spiral instead of a face.

“It is you!” the thing said, though Obito couldn’t see how it spoke. “What is it they’re calling you now? The Flash’s Shadow? What a weird place to find you. You must be the kind of shadow that walks on its own.”

“Who are you?” Obito pulled a knife from his leg holster.

The thing put a hand on its chest as if flattered. “Most people would ask ‘what’, not ‘who’. But you can call me Tobi.”

“What? Is that some kind of joke?”

“Is it?” The thing tilted its head. “Not that I know of, but I’m not an expert in what humans think is funny. I’m here because I heard you were looking for something.”

Obito narrowed his eyes. “Where did you hear that?”

The thing considered for a moment, tapping on its creased chin. “My boss has a lot of ears everywhere. Not literally,” it added, waving its hands beside its head, fingers splayed out. “He’s a normal human. Sort of. He’s an Uchiha like you.”

Obito’s breath grew short. His grip on the knife nearly went slack, and he tightened it. “Is your boss Madara?”

“ _Eh?_ ” The plant being stepped back. “You can read minds? Amazing! How did you do that? You’re not even using the Sharingan!”

Somewhere beneath the alarm bells ringing in his mind, Obito was beginning to understand. His older self had used Akatsuki. But Naruto insisted that Madara had used him.

The two things were likely connected. Which meant whatever Madara wanted with Akatsuki, he didn’t need Obito to do it. Just this weird Zetsu creature lurking around Rain.

Obito slashed his hand through the air. “Leave this place alone. These people are just trying to make something better for themselves after years of war and hunger.”

“Isn’t that what everyone wants?” The Zetsu spread its arms wide. “Madara wants that, too. What a coincidence, right? We’ve heard about you for a while, _and_ you know about us, which is _extra_ interesting. Meeting up like this must be fate! Why not talk to him?”

“No,” Obito spat. “I don’t have to explain anything to you, and I’m not following you anywhere.”

He tried to think fast, but his thoughts were going around in circles. Go home. Face Madara now. Maybe he could go. But he only had one, maybe two jumps left before he’d have to rest again. And there was so much he didn’t know.

“Aw, that’s a problem,” the Zetsu said. “I wouldn’t mind bringing _him_ to _you_ , but he can’t move very far. Anyway, you’ve got nothing to worry about, right? Rumor is you can escape anything.”

Obito took a step backward, his foot dislodging several small pebbles.

The creature hummed and crossed its arms. “You know, in person, it’s pretty obvious you don’t have the Sanbi. Could it be sealed inside this book you’re looking for?”

Obito’s mouth went dry. He wanted to make some kind of retort. But he didn’t want his words turned against him.

“Thing is, regular objects don’t make very good containers for the bijuu. Unless your plan was to send it back with Kiri all along? It’d make a pretty good time bomb. But I guess you wouldn’t be looking for it then, would you?”

“Tell him—” Obito faltered. “Tell him to leave this country alone. If you want to talk, I’ll talk. But later. It’s too risky to take any detours right now.”

“You’re a strange one. You know who we are, you want to talk, but you don’t want to take my offer right now? You want me to tag along until you’re ready to come back? I’ve always wanted to see what Konoha is like.”

“You’d have to catch me first.”

“Not true!” The Zetsu held up its index finger. “I travel pretty fast, myself. Plus, I know where Konoha is. You live with the Uchiha, all penned up together, right? It shouldn’t be hard to find. We can hang out until you’re ready to chat!”

Obito glanced back again. “I can’t trust you. If I go, you might follow me anyway. Besides, people like Madara never just want to _chat_.”

“No, no! I promise.” The swirly-faced creature held a hand out to him. “Don’t get the wrong idea about your own importance. We just want to know what you’re about. Besides, Madara isn’t what he used to be. I bet you could take him down by yourself if you wanted to.”

Obito knew he needed to get back home and regroup, figure out what to do next. But Madara had some kind of plan for Akatsuki. For the world.

There wasn’t a lot he could do about those plans now, not without backup. But maybe he could give the ancient Uchiha something else to chew on. Buy them some time.

“Well?” Swirly-face didn’t have a mouth, but its tone suggested a sly smile.

He could distract them. Throw them off. He could deliver a message, and leave on his own terms.

“Fine,” he said. “But I’m in a hurry to get back home. Don’t think it will go the way you want.”

“You got it!” the Zetsu saluted him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I meant to get this chapter out sooner since I will be traveling soon, but it took a little longer to work on. I really wanted Obito to meet Madara while he was outside the village, but I was worried it would be tough to justify. This is what I came up with. :^D The intrigue compels me.
> 
> ('But Blaize,' I hear you say, 'I was with you on identity swapping, but this is just too outlandish!' Yes, I'm sorry, but also consider: I really wanted to do it.)
> 
> So I will be traveling for Thanksgiving (my partner and I are going to the beach to avoid family gatherings, and we'll be making our own food and staying away from people generally). It'll probably be longer before the next update since I'm not sure if I'll feel like writing or not. I'll be going with the vacation flow.
> 
> I hope others of you who will be celebrating (or not) have a safe and happy time. 🤗 See you later!


	10. to each our own fear

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> posted 12/14/2020 yolo

Obito felt his heartbeat in the tips of his fingers as he made his way carefully along the pitch-black tunnel.

When the plant-thing led him to this place, he wasn’t surprised to find the area familiar. It was near where Iwa scouts had laid a trap that would have come close to killing him in a different time.

On the way down, Obito kept his breathing steady. He reminded himself to run at the slightest hint of a trick.

This meeting was a long time coming, but fighting Madara was too dangerous without backup. No matter how weak he looked.

A short meeting. That was all. Just enough to disrupt whatever plans he had for Akatsuki.

“Here we are!” the plant creature said ahead of him, slapping its hand on a solid-sounding surface. “It’s on the other side of this wall. That won’t be a problem for you, right?”

“I got it,” Obito muttered. He reached out and felt the rough texture of the stone. He took another deep breath to reassure himself.

 _No matter what he says,_ _you know who you are. You would die before doing what he wants. Nothing can change that._

Obito exhaled and stepped through the solid stone wall that separated the underground tunnel from the cavern beyond.

The cavern was dark, the edges entirely hidden. But Obito’s vision adjusted, and there was enough light from somewhere far above to make out what was in front of him.

His gaze was drawn immediately to the trunk of a gigantic tree. As he and the Zetsu walked closer, Obito slowed his step when he felt the stone on his chest become warmer than his skin.

“I brought him, boss!” the Zetsu waved its arms. “You didn’t think he’d come, but here he is! I couldn’t believe it either! But he already knew you were here. Isn’t that amazing?”

“Oh?”

Obito stopped completely when he saw the old man sitting at the base of the tree.

Madara turned his Sharingan on him.

This Madara looked very different from the Edo Tensei version Obito met in the future, but they were unmistakably the same. Only this Madara looked thin and frail, and he did not have the Rinnegan. He was connected to the great tree via long vines connected to his back. His posture was bent as if weighted down by the years, propped up with a staff, but his gaze was sharp and aware.

He examined Obito for what felt like ages.

“It can’t be.” Madara raised a gnarled finger and pointed at him. “Last I heard, the Slug Princess was off licking her wounds somewhere. How did you come upon that stone, boy?”

This close to the tree, the stone was emitting a faint light, just barely visible through Obito’s shirt. He put his hand over it to conceal the light.

“None of your business,” he said bluntly.

Madara gave a small laugh. “I thought there was something notable about you when you passed through here several months ago. But to wear that and still be alive, there must be even more to you than I thought.”

Obito stuck his thumb out at the Zetsu. “Swirly over here said you wanted to talk to me. I’m here, so hurry up and tell me what you want.”

“Want? Nothing, really. I was only a little curious.” Madara leaned forward against the staff. “This life of mine holds few interesting moments. I’d gladly die of boredom, but I need to stay a bit longer to see my legacy go on. I’ve heard about you.”

Obito tried to keep his face impassive. “Yeah?”

“You don’t seem surprised. Yes. After you came through before, I spent some time finding out about you. The more I learned, the more I wanted to meet you.” Madara paused. “I’d rather have someone of the bloodline carry on my work. Imagine my surprise, then, when I heard you’d shown up in Rain, at the very center of it. Almost like an omen.”

Obito took in a long breath. There was no point doing this unless he went all in with it. “I guess by now, you’ve heard all the rumors out there about me. But you don’t know the half of it. It wasn’t an omen. It was on purpose.”

“What do you mean?” Madara narrowed his visible eye.

“The truth is, I didn’t want to meet you right now. But I do know what you’re planning. While you were wasting time with some no-name group, I already had you figured out. And I am going to stop you.”

Madara laughed again, a dry, cynical sound.

Swirly put a hand on its hip. “I don’t get it! How does this random kid know about us?”

“How indeed.” Madara straightened abruptly to examine Obito once again. “Let’s assume I take your claim at face value. I can’t fault your ambition. But if you’re really out to get me, why wait? Why not take the opportunity to end it now?”

“Eh?” Swirly said.

Obito couldn’t think of a good answer.

Madara reached behind him and gathered up the stems connected to his body. “I’m only alive because of this. I would have preferred someone like you to carry on for me, but what I’ve set in motion is already pretty good. I wouldn’t mind dying today. Is that why you’re here?”

 _Do not get close to him._ The thought darted through Obito’s mind. He wasn’t exactly sure what would happen. But if Madara wanted him to come closer, then he would avoid it at all costs.

“No,” Obito said. “I’m here because Swirly-face wouldn’t leave me alone. Besides, you already caught me in Rain. You would have figured it out sooner or later.”

“It is puzzling. You are lying, but I’m not sure about what. You act tough, but that’s all it is. I doubt you have what it takes to kill me.”

Obito grit his teeth. “You have no idea what I’m capable of.”

Madara chuckled and let the stems fall. “If you’ve never killed, it’s better to get it out of the way in the heat of battle. Killing a helpless old man in cold blood is not the best entry point.”

Obito felt chilled.

This, too, was a mistake.

Madara was somehow different from what he’d expected. The prospect of ending him now and putting his influence forever out of reach made sense. If he could do it.

“Maybe. But it would be worth it.”

“Um… boss…?” Swirly-face sidled into his view. “Not to be alarmist, but that kid’s got some kinda look in his eye. I don’t know how he found us out, but I’m starting to think he means it.”

But Madara didn’t seem concerned at all. His wrinkled face pulled into a slash of a grin.

“I admit, it’s nearly a convincing bluff. But my roots extend far beyond this cave and tree, young Uchiha. If you really knew, really _had me figured out_ , you’d know that killing me here would change nothing. I’ve worked tirelessly these past few decades to make myself superfluous. Look at me.” He gestured, indicating his overall self. “Does it seem like my physical presence gives or takes anything away from the world anymore?”

“I don’t think keeping you around is good for anyone. Least of all me,” Obito said.

“How much do you really know? And why have you taken it on yourself to do something about it? Please tell me more. It’s been a long time since I’ve been this surprised by anything.”

“I’m not here to chat. I just wanted you to know that someone knows what you’re up to.”

“Who?” There was a sharp edge under Madara’s voice. “You don’t seem like much of a mastermind. You’ve completely wasted the opportunity to catch me off guard. Is it Tsunade-hime, after all?”

“No. It’s just me.” At the moment, that was technically true. Obito took a step backward. “That’s all I wanted to say. Don’t bother messing with Ame. It won’t go the way you want.”

“Why do we have to fight at all? All I want is an answer for this rotten world. If that’s not appealing, I could help you find what you’re looking for. I could even restore your eye.”

Obito put his free hand over his bandaged eye, smothering a spike of panic. He’d hoped, somehow, that Madara would be distracted into forgetting whatever Swirly had overheard about his real purpose in Ame. Under no circumstances could they know how important finding the book was.

“It’s too late for that. Besides, I will _never_ help you. I’d rather die. But in a way… you’re right.” Obito let his hand fall. “I get the feeling a lot of what happened with the Uchiha is tied up in you. If you’re dealt with the right way—if I let the Hokage pass judgment on you—maybe the rest of our clan can be cleared. Maybe we won’t be dragged down into the pit of what you’ve done.”

“Fine.” Madara inclined his head. “I’ll wager my life on that… for now. I’ll play along with whatever you have planned. But remember, we don’t have to be at odds. The next time we meet, I will ask again. Maybe then you will be more willing to answer.”

Obito walked backward until he hit the wall. “Keep waiting.”

Obito heard Swirly protesting loudly as he left. But staying there a second longer was too dangerous. His pulse was racing. It was a small slip-up away from disaster.

He knew that provoking Madara would give him nothing but a giant target on his back. But that was the point.

Hopefully, he’d bought Akatsuki a little more time. Maybe he could resolve this quickly enough to put Madara in his place.

For now, though, Madara and Akatsuki would have to wait. He barely had enough energy left to jump home. And who knew what Tobi might have gotten up to in his absence?

* * *

Obito fell out into his bedroom ungracefully. He’d been so focused on getting the location exact, he forgot to worry about a smooth landing. He dropped out of the air a step higher than intended and immediately stumbled.

A pair of hands caught and pushed him back upright by the shoulders. Obito looked up and once again had the disorienting experience of staring at his own face.

“Tobi!” Obito steadied himself on the edge of his desk. “I’m glad you’re here. I was worried…”

He trailed off when he noticed Rin and Kakashi. They were sitting on the work stools Hinako had given them, facing into the room. And they were staring at both versions of him. The overhead light was on, and the drapes at the window were shut.

“They already know,” Tobi explained. “I’ve put a silencing barrier around this room to make sure no one can listen in. These two were seriously discussing plans to come after you. I was trying to convince them not to.”

“Oh _no_.” Obito let out a tired groan and sank down into his desk chair.

Meanwhile, Rin stood up. “Are you alright? Where did you go? Are you hurt?”

Obito shifted to the side of the chair to face them. He bent his head low. “I’m sorry. I did a stupid thing by leaving. I wasn’t even able to find it.”

He put his face in his hands. Now that he could finally rest, the danger and exhaustion and guilt dropped on him all at once. He expected them to start yelling any moment. But after a pause, a beat of silence, he looked back up.

Tobi sat on the edge of his bed. The other two were watching him silently. Rin looked a little sad. Kakashi looked neutral, his features blank.

“I’m alright,” Obito said. He sat up straight and relaxed his fists. “I lost the trail around Rain. That’s where the Hunters were hiding while they waited to attack. But they didn’t stick around there afterward. They probably retreated that way, but… they could be on their way back to Kiri by now.”

“I imagine so, given the war is over,” Tobi said.

Obito jolted. “What? It’s over?”

Kakashi sighed. “They must have guessed what we were about to do, and attacked to try stalling the Sandaime. But it didn’t work. By the way…” he pointed his thumb toward Tobi. “Can you explain what this is about? It’s really unsettling to see two of you knowing it isn’t a bunshin.”

Without waiting for Obito to respond, Tobi held his hand in a half ram sign. “Kai!”

A plume of vapor surrounded him before quickly disappearing. Tobi flashed his razor-like smile at Kakashi and Rin, apparently enjoying the surprise on their faces.

Prior to his imprisonment, Tobi wore layers to cover every bit of skin, with an imposing Akatsuki coat and mask on top. But after the last battle with Orochimaru, he had to make do with whatever Obito could find for him.

In a dark navy tee and standard-issue black pants, he looked more like an uncannily similar older brother or uncle than an S-class criminal.

Obito saw Kakashi and Rin take in the differences: the missing eye, the crumpled side of his face, the subtly lighter tone of his right arm. And of course, his age.

This whole thing had been Obito’s idea, but he was still uneasy about Tobi being here, in this world, with his team.

“It’s not that complicated,” Tobi said in his own voice. “He needed a double, and I was the best choice. I told you. I’m from a different dimension.”

Kakashi recovered first. “I get that… but why couldn’t you wait?” He glanced at Obito. “You look awful. You look like you’ve been dragged halfway across the country.”

“I’d have done the same thing if it was one of you. That’s how important the book is,” Obito said. “My friend isn’t the only one in danger. If they manage to figure out the jutsu that’s contained in it, we’re all in trouble. Every second I waste is… but I couldn’t find it. They’re gone.” His voice cracked.

“Still, there might be something we can do.” Rin turned to Kakashi. “You had an idea, right?”

Kakashi shifted uncomfortably. “My idea was to find Obito before he got himself killed. Now he’s here, so there’s no one we have to cover for. We should tell Minato-sensei and do it the right way.”

“We don’t have _time_ to do it the right way.” Obito ground his teeth.

“Okay. If you can’t wait for Minato-sensei to get back, then let’s tell the Sandaime. He can—”

“ _No_.” Obito cut in. “We don’t want anyone else to know about the other dimensions.”

“That’s wise,” Tobi commented. “I’ve seen the Orochimaru of this time. I don’t think he’s had contact with his other self, but one look at the Book of Seals would tell him far too much. He’d recognize his own work.”

“The book comes from a different version of Orochimaru?” Rin asked confusedly.

“Yes.” Obito ran his hands over his face wearily. “And he’s used it to kidnap and control living people. I’d rather wait for Minato-sensei than tell anyone else about it. But if you have an idea, spit it out.”

Kakashi stayed silent for a moment. Then he said, “I thought me and Rin could take a simple cleanup mission that would put us in the area. As long as we completed it in time, it would give us a chance to look for you.”

“Simple. We could do the same thing.”

Rin shook her head. “Hold on. We met with the Sandaime earlier, and he wants you to stay home for the time being. He won’t let you out, not even for a cleanup mission. Did you know Kiri has put a bounty on you?”

Obito let out a long breath. “I know. Well—I found out. After I’d already left.”

“So,” Kakashi said, “that idea isn’t going to work. Unless you’re fine staying here while we go looking?”

Obito glanced at Tobi. Tobi raised a brow.

“Oh, no.” Kakashi put his palm to his forehead.

“Wait a minute.” Rin waved to get Obito’s attention. “I understand why you don’t want people to know about the book. And I’m okay with looking for clues. But what if we actually find something? Obviously, your kamui works to a certain extent, but how much?”

“It takes much more effort,” Tobi said. “And he’s still injured, so I’m guessing the death grip he has on the back of that chair is the only reason he can sit up straight.”

Obito shot him a look. “We don’t have to face the hunters head-on. If we find it, we can steal it.”

Kakashi crossed his arms. “There are too many unknowns. I still think we should wait for Minato-sensei to come back. Even if he walks with everyone else instead of jumping, it should be within the week.”

“I—” Obito’s words snagged on the air and died. “We can still get a head start. Tobi can tell him what’s going on. They’ve met before.”

“Really?” Tobi tilted his head significantly. Obito could hear the unspoken loud and clear.

“He’ll find out anyway.” Obito looked down, putting a hand on his shoulder. “I knew that from the start. But if we’re already out there and we don’t fight, it technically wouldn’t be breaking any rules. There has to be something we can do.”

Obito didn’t notice Rin beside him until she rested a hand over his bandaged eye, and he gave a start.

“I don’t know,” she said. Obito felt the cooling sensation of healing chakra, lingering across the nearly-healed cut on his head. “Sandaime-sama told us he’d see about getting someone to look at your eye. I think we should go tomorrow morning and see what an Uchiha medic has to say about it. Then we can decide what to do. Okay?” Rin backed up, brows furrowed.

“Fine,” Obito said tiredly. There was little chance of going anywhere without resting first, either way.

“Good. We’ll get an early start, then.” Rin turned back to Kakashi, who stood. It seemed they were about to leave.

Obito noticed Tobi watching him from the corner of his good eye. He threw a stubborn look back.

Tobi stood. He made a motion like he was about to reach out to the others, but thought better of it and dropped his hand.

But Rin paused, noticing. She gave him a questioning look.

“Thank you,” Tobi said in a surprisingly gentle tone.

“Eh?” Rin blinked in surprise, then waved her hand. “N-not at all! It’s my job, and—I mean, we’re on the same team in your time too, right?”

“Yes. But I know Kakashi and I were not always the best at showing appreciation. Especially when it went against what we wanted.” Tobi cracked a slight smile as Kakashi rubbed the back of his head. “Don’t worry, I’ll make sure the idiot doesn’t go anywhere.”

 _Like hell you will_ , Obito thought, but didn’t contradict him out loud.

“We’d better get moving before Hina-baa comes to check on us. It’s been a while,” Kakashi said.

“See you guys.” Obito hauled himself out of his chair. He didn’t want to fall for Tobi’s pointed jab, but unfortunately, he was sort of right. “And seriously… thanks. For hearing me out. And not getting mad that I left you behind.”

“Who said that?” Rin looked back at him with an icy smile.

“S-sorry.”

Kakashi shrugged. “You owe us one. Let’s leave it at that.”

Tobi lingered behind them as they left. He stopped at the bedroom door and turned back to Obito.

“I’ll go see off Hinako so she doesn’t come up here. She would get suspicious if she saw you like this.”

“Wait—” Obito started, but Tobi went ahead and slid the door shut behind him.

Obito looked at the clock on his bedside table. It was already night. The shop should have been well closed by now. But maybe Hinako was still silently worried about him.

Obito sighed. He felt drained and heavy, and a dull headache grew from behind his injured eye. It would be nice to make more than a few jumps without getting overextended. With or without a fix, his body would eventually catch up. There just wasn’t enough time.

He zoned out for a moment, but Tobi’s return jolted him back awake.

He’d only covered himself with a simple Henge to go downstairs. Tobi came back in and gave a quick hand motion, and it was dispelled.

“It’s better if I limit my true form to this room. We should avoid being in the same place otherwise,” he said.

Obito scowled. “What makes you think you’re staying out here? You’re going back into kamui.”

“No.”

Obito got to his feet, bristling immediately. “Like I’m giving you a choice.”

Tobi stared down at him from his superior height. “You already did. My help in exchange for freedom. You still need my help, and that’s my price. Forgive me if the threat of being taken by force fails to impress. Can you even access it right now?”

Obito slumped back into the desk chair, pressing a hand against his eye. “Fine. I still need your help. For now.”

He didn’t feel like arguing. He always figured Tobi would resist going back into his prison. But that could be resolved later, after he got the book back.

Now that things were relatively quiet, Obito could feel a tightening pressure on the back of his throat like an invisible hand. The unreality of speaking to Madara came back to him, fear he hadn’t allowed himself to feel until it was over.

“Maybe you don’t want to hear it, but I did the same thing,” Tobi said.

Obito looked up, confused. “What?”

Tobi turned his head to look at Obito more fully, voice low and thoughtful. “That other Kakashi told you the story, didn’t he? I became separated from them, and I didn’t have the power to make it back. After that, I spent my days with one single-minded purpose. I wanted to see them again. I lived, breathed, dreamed nothing else. I justified anything to make it happen. If things had happened the same way, you would be in that exact situation right now. So, I’m not surprised you went this far. Even if you had to ask for my help.”

Obito lowered his hand. “Why didn’t you tell me? About… anything? Kakashi said he didn’t know anything until the time you showed up again.” Obito curled his hands into fists. “It would have helped a lot when I was out there. I met Akatsuki. And Madara.”

Tobi stiffened. _Now_ he looked surprised. “What did you say?”

"I crossed the border of Ame and found Akatsuki. Or they found me. You never mentioned they were already a group in this time.”

“You never asked. I thought you would have known better than to go to Ame, in any case. What was that about Madara?”

“I didn’t cross the border on purpose. I had a hard time controlling my landings.” Obito shook his head. “Point is, Madara is still trying to use Akatsuki. When I left, a Zetsu came out of nowhere and talked to me."

"What did it look like?"

"Uh. Kind of swirly?"

Tobi stepped toward him. "And you went along with it? Knowing everything? How are you _this_ incomprehensibly stupid?"

“That’s just it! I _don’t_ know everything,” Obito bit back. “I had to do something. I can't worry about Akatsuki right now with everything else going on! I wanted to make Madara look elsewhere until we get this situation with the book figured out.”

“What happened? How did you escape?”

“Nothing happened. I jumped away before they could do anything. Okay, it wasn’t a great idea, but it was the only thing I could think of—”

“And you still want to go out looking. You think he won’t notice?”

“If he does, that just means it worked.”

Tobi made a scornful sound. “If you were going to be that reckless, you could have at least finished him off. He is at his weakest point right now. Going was a mistake, but leaving him alive is worse.”

“I didn’t…” Obito hesitated. “I wasn’t sure what he could do, so I kept my distance. But he caused a lot of the problems between the clan and the village, right? I thought… I don’t know. Maybe if people knew he was still alive, we could come to some kind of resolution. And things would get a little better.”

Tobi’s eye strayed to where the stone lay around Obito’s neck, incredulity sketched across his face. “That is a lot to hope for. You don’t understand how deep his influence runs. It will take more than a scapegoat to save the Uchiha. Not even killing him would solve everything.”

“Why are you so interested in killing him? I thought you guys were on the same side.”

“It’s like I said. You’re not the first to rely on dubious help to get what you want.”

Obito felt a stab of annoyance. “Then I guess you’re right, I don’t understand anything! Okay, so you had to work with him to get your strength back. I get that. Then what happened to Rin and Kakashi—” He halted. Brushing up against that thought was almost physically painful. “I just don’t understand how that leads to killing the Uchiha. Or using Akatsuki to steal the bijuu. Madara can’t have much longer to live. What’s the point of doing what he wants long after he’s dead? Why did you…kill…”

Obito’s lips trembled. He’d wanted to ask for a very long time. But part of him had always been afraid of the answer. The thing he kept avoiding.

That maybe there was something fundamentally wrong with him. That he could trip and fall just as easily.

He looked up at Tobi after a moment of complete silence.

The man’s expression was unreadable as ever. He moved to rest a hand on his chest, like he was about to declare something. But he spoke quietly once more.

“I won’t make excuses. There is no denying the reality of what I’ve done. If you’re wondering whether you have the capacity to follow the same path, of course the answer is yes. But you are not unique in that. Rather than dwell on your own shortcomings, you should be thinking about the flaws in this world, the conditions that make people into monsters. That is, if you still plan on leading them.”

Obito wasn’t sure what he’d expected to hear, but it wasn’t that. “Madara said… he had some kind of answer. Is that why you went along with him?”

Tobi reached out toward him. Obito winced reflexively, then blinked when Tobi’s palm rested on top of his head.

“If you want things to go differently for you, there’s at least one thing you can do. Never listen to Madara.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi again~ my vacation lasted longer than expected because my roommate got sick, so I decided not to come home for a while (but he tested negative for covid twice, so it must have been some other kind of bug). Everything is fine now, but....... I'm going to be really glad when this is all over.
> 
> Updates will continue to be a little sporadic around the holidays. But I'm back to working on this, so I will see you all hopefully soon. :> Take care of yourselves. I lov u


	11. quiet on the home front

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Posted 12/28/2020

With Tobi sharing the same space and each stubbornly refusing to budge, Obito thought it would be impossible to fall asleep that night. There was still a lingering sense of doubt over their truce, a question mark with no answer.

Making matters worse was uncertainty over the next step. Rin and Kakashi had taken over his plans without hesitation, without asking—which wasn’t a bad thing, considering how well charging in had served him so far.

But having to wait an undetermined amount of time him feeling nervous. What if it took days to find a medic that would help him? What if they found out his eye couldn’t be healed? It might take weeks or even _months_ to have full use over his kamui again.

“My medical skills are limited, but I do know a great deal about the Sharingan. Maybe I can take a look at it?” Tobi offered.

Obito nearly agreed, but then he remembered who was offering and stepped back, suspicion creeping in.

“You called me a replacement before,” he accused. “You tried to kill Naruto in front of me so I might get the Mangekyou.”

Tobi just shrugged. “Your choice.”

In the end, Obito settled down to rest after banishing Tobi to the living room. He set rudimentary traps around the window and door just so he could fall asleep.

Not that they would do much good if Tobi seriously wanted to steal his eyes.

It was strange. Tobi rarely brought it up, but it had to be forever in the back of his mind, right? Getting kamui back would be a quick ticket to freedom for him.

Though he thought it would be impossible, Obito was so exhausted he fell asleep quickly, one hand curled around the knife under his pillow.

Very early the next morning, Rin brought him some good news. Apparently, the Sandaime had convinced someone to take a look at him, because the hospital said they could come in that day. Rin doubled down on making that her caveat for cooperation.

So, before it was even lunchtime, Obito found himself shifting awkwardly on the thin paper over an exam table.

Waiting. And waiting.

“This is taking forever. I bet he forgot about us,” Obito said. He noticed he was bouncing his leg nervously and stilled it.

“It’s still hectic here. I’m just glad they agreed to look at you,” Rin said. She and Kakashi sat in chairs against the wall in the small exam room.

The Uchiha medic had given nothing away when examining Obito’s eye. He simply looked at it under a light, asked Obito and Rin some questions, then left.

“That scratch on your head is looking a lot better,” Rin offered. “I don’t think it will leave much of a scar.”

“I’m not worried about getting another scar. I just want this over with so we can leave.”

“This is a terrible idea,” Kakashi muttered.

“It’s _your_ idea,” Obito countered. He didn’t have to ask what Kakashi meant.

“We can look for it… _if_ there’s a way to stabilize your power. We won’t get very far if you collapse from chakra exhaustion along the way,” Rin said very quietly.

Obito dropped his tone of voice to match hers. “I know. I want to get healed if I can. If I have to infiltrate Kiri, that’ll pretty much be mandatory. Especially if I’m carrying you guys, too.”

“How are you going to find them? What if they sent it ahead? And what if they _do_ make it home before we’re able to catch up?” Kakashi said in an annoyed whisper. “You can’t be serious about infiltrating Kiri. The treaties were just drafted. People will blame Minato-sensei for your idiotic behavior.”

“He would do the same thing. I know he would,” Obito said, even though he wasn’t really sure. “I told Tobi to fill him in if things go wrong after we leave. Minato-sensei knows about him.”

Kakashi pointed. “That’s another thing. Since _when?_ Don’t tell me Tobi’s been filling in for you all this time!”

“No, never before this. They met on the other side, where Naruto’s from.”

“Minato-sensei went to the other side? What else don’t we know about?”

“Look, it’s a long story—”

“Shh!” Rin said. Her chair was next to the door. She pointed at it, then held a finger up to her lips.

Obito listened. The medic walked too quietly for him to hear his approach. But a few seconds later, the door handle turned and the medic re-entered the exam room.

Uchiha Shintaro was in his early to mid twenties, plain-looking, and polite. His hair was tied into a short tail at the base of his neck, and fell around his face in straight lines. He wore the off-white uniform of the dedicated Medic Corps.

“Sorry for the long wait,” he said. “I had my own thoughts on the matter, but I wanted to ask my sensei about it, too. For decades, he’s been in charge of implementing the wishes of families and the demands of security when it comes to doujutsu users who have passed away. In short, he understands the fine line between reparable and irreparable damage.”

Obito’s palms started to sweat. “What does that mean? Is there a way to fix it?”

“Your Sharingan on that side will not activate, but you were able to read the chart.” Shintaro inclined his head toward the eye chart hanging on the wall. “The exam suggests there has been a slight loss on that side, but not enough to explain why your doujutsu will not activate. Most of us, if we’re reckless enough, can use it until we completely burn ourselves out. I do have a theory, though. Tilt your head up a bit.”

Obito did as he was told, blinking in the overhead light. The constant sting he’d felt at first was rarer now. Blinking didn’t hurt anymore.

Shintaro shone a light in each of his eyes once again. “Depending on how it develops, unusual talents have appeared over the centuries. You possess one of those—but I don’t just mean the space-time aspect. Using something that powerful at your age should cause significant degradation, but you were able to use it freely. This is the only thing that has ever caused your doujutsu to diminish instead of strengthen.”

“So, what does _that_ mean?”

“Let me know if this stings.” The medic put his hand over Obito’s eye and it glowed faintly green.

At first, it felt vaguely nice, just as it had the few times Rin applied some healing energy to it. But something changed. Shintaro curled the tips of his fingers as if gripping something invisible.

It didn’t just _sting_. The stabbing pain from before returned all over again. Obito cried out and flinched away involuntarily. Rin made a surprised sound.

“I’m sorry,” Shintaro said. “From what you and Rin-san described, this Hunter must have been a skilled medic himself. Rather than physically stealing your eye, he cut only the tenketsu pathways. It effectively blocked your power without causing any other damage. Very few people could do something like this.

“Isn’t that similar to what the Hyuuga do?” Obito said, wincing.

“Similar, but not exact.” Shintaro paused. “Their style aims to cause internal damage through manipulation of the pathways. This is less refined, and more brutal. The paths weren’t manipulated, they were severed. It will not heal on its own. We will need a skilled surgical team to try repairing the connections. For now, you should be fine as long as you don’t try to force it.”

“Is it really okay to leave it like that? Why can’t you do something about it?” Kakashi asked.

Obito put his hand over his eye as the pain faded to a sting. Shintaro turned to Kakashi.

“I’m not sure even Tsunade-sama could do this alone. At least one other person would need to assist. We don’t want to let this go too long, but it’s also very important to get it done _right_. A wrong move could easily blind him in that eye.”

“It’s okay, Kakashi.” Obito lowered his hand. “I’d rather it be done the right way. I can wait until you guys get back from your next mission.”

Kakashi gave him a suspicious glare, but said nothing.

“We’ll contact you when we have an opening. Then you can decide on a time,” Shintaro said. “Until then, I’ll have you wear a patch. Your cut doesn’t need wrappings anymore.”

“Thanks,” Obito mumbled.

Shintaro looked thoughtful for a moment. “Sensei thought it worth mentioning… a blockage like this can be complicated by emotional causes. We’re known for unlocking power in desperate situations, but it’s not entirely unheard of for it to go the other way, too. While you wait, it may be helpful to try untangling the events that led to this. Especially if you blame yourself in any way. Working through it may increase your likelihood of recovering.”

Obito looked down at his hands in his lap. He thought he could feel his hands trembling, but it wasn’t noticeable.

“I… think I killed someone. The Hunter who poisoned me. It made me hesitate, and he got me. That’s when everything went downhill.”

It was embarrassing to admit, especially in front of Kakashi. He felt dumb for saying it. He was already a jounin. No one else had to worry about slipping down a path of world domination over a kill in self-defense. No one else seemed to question their very identities over it.

The medic put a hand on his shoulder. “You fought well. Remember: a shinobi is a tool wielded by whoever he serves in that moment. Two knives may clash and create sparks. But do we blame the knife? No. You and the Hunter followed your directives to the letter. That is all.”

Knowing what he knew now, Obito suspected the Hunter’s feelings about him was a little more personal than that. But he simply shrugged.

“For now, rest. You may resume training after your mentors return. They may be able to help you with that, too.”

Obito imagined sharing his feelings with Fugaku and nearly laughed.

Rin stood and bowed. “Thank you for your help.”

* * *

“Now what?” Obito asked as they walked out of the hospital into the bright morning light.

Kakashi raised a brow at him. “What do you mean, now what? Are you going to ignore what the medic said? You agreed we shouldn’t go forward if you aren’t healed.”

“That’s right.” Rin quickened her strides to match Obito’s. “If you haven’t recovered, it’ll end up taking longer than if we just waited. Getting hurt more won’t solve anything.”

Obito stopped. The shops around them were already open, but the street wasn’t busy yet. Rin and Kakashi stopped beside him.

“Sorry. I know I’m not being reasonable. But I promise not to rush out again unless I figure out a way to use kamui without getting wiped out.”

“Why? Do you have something in mind?” Kakashi crossed his arms.

Obito turned to Rin. “You’ve been in touch with the Medical Corps all this time, right? Do you know where Tsunade-sama is?”

Rin blinked, surprised. “Maybe. But everybody says she won’t so much as talk to anyone. Much less heal anyone.”

“There might be somebody else I can ask.” Obito rested a hand on his side, over his burn scars. “But that would mean going over into Lightning, so it would be even riskier. If we talk to Tsunade-sama, maybe we can convince her.”

Rin looked doubtful, but she said, “If it keeps you from rushing into Kiri, I’m in. But it will be hard to ask without telling her the truth. If she thinks the Sandaime sent us, she’ll probably close the door in our face.”

Obito thought for a moment. “We’ll figure that out when we get there. All I know is, we have to keep trying. Even if it’s a long shot.” He moved his hand to his chest, over Hashirama’s stone. He briefly wondered if showing it to Tsunade would help, would prove his story about alternate dimensions if it came to that.

Unfortunately, it was hard to imagine her reacting well to it.

“There’s something else.” Kakashi turned heel and continued striving down the road, glancing back and forth across the street. The other two followed.

“What something else?” Obito hurried to catch up.

“I was thinking about how to track the Hunters if it came to it.” Without waiting for them to react to this stunning statement, Kakashi continued, “I thought we could look for reports from the ANBU already tracking them. They followed their retreat, remember? But there’s a problem. After Kiri surrendered, their mission was called off. Not only that, no one has been able to get in contact with them, and they never sent their last scheduled report. The last anyone heard from them was near the cluster of small lands between us and Iwa, soon after you left.”

“Do you think the Hunters got them?” Rin asked, hushed.

“Or someone else, if the Salamander caught them,” Obito muttered.

“If anything, that proves how dangerous this is. Ame is out of the question. So how do you plan on finding them now?”

“I don’t know. You tell me, _leader_ ,” Obito shot back. “I thought you were supposed to be good at tracking.”

“That’s right!” Rin said. “You can call your ninken to help us. That way, we can find the trail while avoiding any really dangerous places.”

“Unless the Hunters anticipated the use of ninja hounds. Besides, we’d need a sample scent for them to follow.”

“Wouldn’t the book still smell like Obito?”

“I bled all over it,” Obito offered.

“Unless they dragged it on the ground behind them, I don’t think that will help us find the trail.” Kakashi shook his head. “There are so many things that can go wrong with this. It’ll be a miracle if we get anywhere.”

“This would be easy if we had Naruto. But that’s the whole problem,” Obito muttered.

Kakashi scowled. “Why? You think he’s a better tracker than my ninken?”

“I _know_ he is. He’s a Sage. If something’s made of energy, he could find it on the other side of the world.”

“Are you sure we’re talking about the same kid—”

“Shh!” Rin tugged Kakashi’s sleeve and pointed.

They looked ahead. Further down the street, Obito saw Kushina in front of a produce stand. She had a shopping bag in one hand and held on to Itachi’s hand with the other.

“We shouldn’t get sidetracked,” Kakashi said. “So? What’s our plan?”

Kushina was talking to the vendor, but Itachi was looking around. He caught Obito’s eye and his face lit up. He waved.

“Um…” Obito started.

Kushina noticed Itachi waving and turned around. Then she waved too. At that point, they had little choice but to go say hello.

“I heard you three were held back,” Kushina said as they approached the produce stand. “I can’t believe what those hunter-nin did to your eye. I hope you weren’t too upset.”

“What about you?” Obito asked. “Weren’t you going to be in the last group until that happened?”

Kushina gave a smile that felt very chilling. It reminded him of how Minato could similarly freeze the air while wearing a pleasant expression. Obito wondered if Naruto had inherited that trait. If so, he hadn’t shown it yet.

“That’s right. Circumstances being what they are, the Sandaime thought it best if I stay close to home. I do understand, but… I’m glad the war is finally over.”

“Do you know when Minato-sensei and the others will be home?” Rin asked. Itachi’s eyes widened, and he looked up at Kushina quickly.

“All they say is ‘soon’.” Kushina shrugged. “They aren’t staying in Kiri, of course. Last I heard, the Mizukage was refusing to come out to a neutral location and sign anything unless he could bring all of the Seven Swordsmen along as bodyguards.”

“Losers don’t get to make the rules,” Kakashi said.

Kushina rolled her eyes. “Minato said okay—of course he did!—and the old man sent ahead documentation proving that Minato is the de facto Hokage, just so they had nothing to complain about. It should be soon. We’re all ready to move on with our lives.”

“There are already internal missions for delivering orders and dismantling temporary strongholds,” Kakashi said. “Me and Rin might pick one up before everyone gets home.”

“I should have known you weren’t going to keep still.” Kushina looked at Obito. “Are you not healed enough to go?”

“No. I’ll be able to help when things calm down. Turns out that Kiri hates me personally, so the Sandaime thought I should stay home, too.”

“If they had killed you, they would be in even worse trouble than they are now,” Kushina said with another chilling smile.

“Will you be back for training later?” Itachi asked, sounding shyer than usual in front of Kakashi and Rin.

Obito bent to reply. “Definitely. It’ll be just a little longer. My eye will be better in no time. They missed it by that much.” He tilted his head downward to show the mostly-healed cut across his brow.

Kushina turned more fully toward him, hand held in a loose fist over her chest. “What about… does your power still work?”

Obito straightened, gaze drifting over to the colorful display of squash beside them. Saying no wouldn’t be a lie—at least, not to the question she was really asking. He’d hoped to find the book _before_ having to face Kushina or Minato.

“We just came back from the hospital, actually. They said they might be able to restore it with surgery, but it’s going to be a little while before that can happen. The attack threw everything off, and they’re probably expecting some people to come in from this last battle, too.”

“Oh,” Kushina said. “I understand that. I’m glad they’ll be able to do something sooner or later. And… I’m glad you all made it back alive. That’s what really matters.”

“We were thinking about asking Tsunade-sama for help,” Rin blurted out. “To heal Obito, I mean. Do you think it’s a good idea?”

Obito looked at Kushina quickly. She looked partly surprised, partly curious. “Eh? Of course she could do it, but convincing her would be a long shot, ‘ttebane. It might be dangerous to even ask! Isn't it better to wait?”

The three exchanged looks. Rin turned faintly pink. Kakashi clearly wanted to bring an end to the conversation.

“What’s going on with you three?” Kushina’s brows pulled into a skeptical line.

Obito looked around, making sure the street was still mostly clear. “Okay. There wasn’t anyone we could tell, but the Kiri guys who injured me took the book.”

“The book?”

“ _The_ book.” Obito jerked his head significantly to the side.

Kushina stared blankly at him for a moment. Then her jaw dropped. “ _What?”_

Obito saw some other shoppers turn their heads when Kushina’s voice rose sharply. He hurriedly continued in a quieter tone. “We didn’t want to tell Sandaime-sama or anyone else. But Minato-sensei will have to do something about it when he gets back, right? I want to go. I want my eye healed as soon as possible.”

“You could have told _me_ about it!”

“You and Obito have been ordered to stay here for now,” Rin said. “Me and Kakashi haven’t. Convincing Tsunade-sama is a long shot, but it’s worth a try, isn’t it? It’s better than sitting around waiting.”

Obito made himself hold Kushina’s gaze. He didn’t like lying to her, even if it was only through omission. The fact that her face resembled Naruto’s so much didn’t help.

“I want to bring him back to you. It might not work, but there’s kinda nothing else we can do right now.”

“We should get a move on if we want to leave today.” Kakashi gave Obito a significant look. “Me and Rin can probably convince the Sandaime to let us find her. Even if he thinks it’ll fail, he wouldn’t pass up a chance to bring her back to the village.”

“Okay.” Kushina gave a sigh. “I can tell you’ve given a lot of thought to this. I’m still peeved you didn’t come to me, but you’re right about keeping it from everyone else. This sort of thing is exactly why Minato wanted to form a new squad. All I can say is: don’t be too disappointed if Tsunade-sama doesn’t return. It’s a long shot, at best.”

“We’ll do whatever we can. That’s all.” Kakashi touched Rin’s shoulder. “Come on. It’ll take some time to get it all worked out. Obito, we’ll meet back at my place and fill you in on what we’re doing.”

“Okay.” Obito understood Kakashi’s meaning. He had to be packed and ready to go by the time they finished speaking with the Sandaime.

“Good to see you. Please be careful, especially with Tsunade-sama,” Kushina said.

“See you later.” Kakashi glanced at Obito once more before he and Rin walked away.

There was silence for a moment. Itachi looked between Obito and Kushina, brow furrowed, clearly puzzled at the conversation.

“Sorry,” Obito said. “If I’d been more careful, more alert, more… _something_ , this wouldn’t have happened.”

“No. Oh—no.” Kushina let go of Itachi’s hand and pulled Obito into a gentle hug. “You’re the one who got hurt. I’m just glad you’re okay. I should have come to visit you—I was so distracted, everything with Minato and Ita-chan. I didn’t think about…”

“Is it true you kidnapped him from the Uchiha?” Obito said, trying to inject some humor into the conversation.

Kushina pulled back, face crinkled. “You can’t blame me, can you? He looked so sad without his parents, and those instructors don’t see him as a kid. To them, being talented means you’re too grown up to need comfort. Besides, Mikoto would have left him with me to start with if we’d known I wasn’t leaving after all.”

“I hope you’re taking good care of Auntie Kushina,” Obito said to Itachi.

“She showed me how to make my own storage seals!”

“Ooooh, you are so _cute!_ ” Kushina ruffled Itachi’s hair. “He _is_ a little genius, though. Fugaku wants him to attend Academy two years at least, but it wouldn’t surprise me if he finishes it in one. Reminds me of Kakashi at that age. ‘Course, I only saw him around every now and then, but I’ve heard the stories.”

Obito wrinkled his nose. “I hope not. Itachi, whatever you do, don’t be like Kakashi-nii. Okay?”

“What does that mean?”

“It means be nice to your classmates and don’t be a stick in the mud.” Obito glanced back the way Kakashi and Rin left. They would be waiting for him once they got confirmation, and he still had to get Tobi squared away at home.

“Aw come on, he’s not so bad. I think your team has been doing very well lately,” Kushina said.

“Things have gotten better.” Obito held up his hand. “I need to get going, too. They’ll be waiting for me.”

“Alright. I’ll talk to Minato about all this when he gets back. Just remember what I said. It’s fine to give it a try, but I really don’t think they can convince Tsunade-sama to come home. Being left out is hard, but this is really important. A decision will be made based on what’s best, not necessarily what you want.”

“I know.”

“Whatever decision is made, Minato will want to hear the story directly from you. That’s still a big help.”

“You’re right,” Obito said, pushing down a sense of uneasiness. “Anyway, I… I gotta go. See you sometime.”

“Wait ‘ttebane!”

Obito paused reluctantly mid-step.

Kushina gave a smile that was a little bit sad. “It’ll work out. Don’t blame yourself too much, okay? You—and Rin and Kakashi—you’re our family, too.”

Obito nodded, a lump rising in his throat. He sidled around them and started off in a trot toward home, only slowing his step after turning a corner.

As much as he hated to admit it, they were all right. The chances of finding a way to heal him with nothing going wrong, much less finding the book, were looking increasingly slim.

And Kushina was right, too. It was too important to let his own desire to fix things get in the way.

But they had to try. He couldn’t imagine _not_ trying, couldn’t tolerate sitting still.

Even if they failed, they might discover something, do something to take an extra step forward. And that extra step could make all the difference.

They just had to keep out of trouble in the process.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope everyone had a good holiday break!
> 
>  _Chapter 12: betting the long odds_ , will post... as soon as I do the read through and formatting and uploading stuff.
> 
> See you then!


	12. betting the long odds

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> posted 12/28/2020. Today is a two-for-one special! Happy (late) Christmas :'D
> 
> One of this fic's warnings apply. Send end note for details.

“Okay.” Obito stepped back after Tobi put on the eye patch. This time, they’d incorporated a fake eye into the illusion, just in case something happened to the patch. “The fake eye looks fine, but a medic is still gonna realize there’s nothing there if they start examining it.”

“Obviously.”

Tobi was sitting at his desk. He hadn’t tried to put up much of an argument this time.

Obito didn't want to push his luck by giving Tobi more things to complain about. But he had to make sure everything would be okay while they were gone.

“If Minato-sensei asks, you can tell him what happened. I don’t know if we can talk Tsunade-sama into coming here, but that’s why I want to go along. Maybe if I go to her, she’ll agree.”

Tobi gave a soft, cynical laugh. “You’re probably wrong, but what if you’re right? Or what if the whole thing fails? You’re still not thinking ahead.”

Obito frowned. “If we fail, then… I guess we have to come back here. I’m out of any other options. Rin and Kakashi aren’t going to let me go by myself, and now Kushina-san knows about it, too. But she doesn’t know about you, so be careful if you have to talk to her.”

Tobi looked aside at the window, where the curtains were still pulled shut. He seemed oddly thoughtful.

“Okay. I’m leaving now.” Obito turned toward the door.

“I can handle it.” Tobi looked at him. He had a small, dissatisfied frown.

Obito raised an expectant brow. “What?”

There was a pause. Finally Tobi said, “Whatever you do, don’t go to Madara again. I don’t know if you’re right about him being the key to the Uchiha’s problems. There are other factors involved. Either way, if he needs dealing with, _I_ can do it. Get too close to him, and you could lose everything you’ve been struggling for.”

Obito felt a sharp pang of—what? Shame? Annoyance? “I know how dangerous he is. You don’t have to remind me. Why've you been acting like you care, anyway?”

“Making yourself a target for the sake of people you barely know? I can imagine where you got such a foolish idea. But Madara isn’t someone you want to try that with. You aren’t good enough at hiding things from those who know how to look.” Tobi held up a photograph. It was the one Kushina had taken of Naruto during their first day at home.

“Hey! Give that back!” Obito lunged, but it wasn’t necessary. Tobi let him take it easily.

“That was my intention.” Tobi held up his empty hands. “If I’m going to be here a while, I don’t want to worry about snooping old women on top of everything else. You shouldn’t have left proof of the dimensions laying around to start with.”

“Guess I’m just good at making stupid mistakes. Thanks for reminding me. Again,” Obito muttered.

Tobi pointed with his palm facing upward. “It doesn't make sense. All I see is a self-righteous brat. It is nauseating to even contemplate, so please don’t make me ask more than once. Do you like him?”

“ _What?”_ Obito started and took a step back. “Who? Naruto? Don’t be an idiot.”

“Maybe I’m mistaken. Or maybe you don’t realize.”

“Or maybe you’re trying to throw me off again.” Obito’s face burned to the point where it was almost painful. “You know what’s at stake with the Book. I messed this up, and I need to fix it. Minato-sensei and Kushina-san need him back, too. And did you forget that Kabuto might _die?_ ”

Tobi frowned. “You may think I’m irredeemably selfish, but nothing good comes from working yourself to death while rejecting your own wishes. There has to be something in the middle.”

“Stop trying to act like you care about me. And stop wasting my time.”

“You can do whatever you want, but you’ll always be weak against people like Madara if you never consider the meaning of the connections around you. You’ve chosen the more difficult path. I told you: to live in reality, you must guard—”

“Guard my heart, blah blah blah, I know! For the record, that advice is crap. What’s the point of meditating on connections if you’re only going to cut them off?”

“That isn’t what I meant. I thought you wanted to be different from me. Severing connections is the easier way. If that’s what you want, I won’t try to stop you. But it’s not an idle question. Not for us. You should understand why.”

Obito was tense, off balance. He felt the world had turned upside-down. Like there were stars underneath his feet, and sharp precipices above his head, and he was falling.

Tobi crossed his arms. “During that battle, when I said ‘guard your heart’, you’re the one who said his name in response. Whatever you want to call it, that’s what he is to you. I saw it then.”

Obito breathed in with difficulty, as through a narrow gap. “I… don’t know. I—you did cruel, awful things because you let your feelings get in the way. So yeah, I don’t want to stop myself from caring, and maybe I couldn’t stop even if I tried. But that’s it. It doesn’t matter who it is. I won’t let it get to that point. It’s not worth it.”

Tobi tilted his head in a partial shrug. “Sorry. You better get going. I’m sure you’re already running late.”

Obito only hesitated a second longer. He had never heard Tobi apologize for anything before. It was surprising. It wasn’t clear what he was apologizing for.

“Keep listening for any information about the Hunters,” Obito said. “Anything that might help when we get back. But don’t make anyone suspicious of you.”

“Noted.”

Obito turned away and disappeared.

He stepped out into Kakashi’s living room. Kakashi and Rin were packed and ready to go.

“Finally,” Kakashi said.

“What’s wrong? Your face is all red,” Rin said.

“I ran part of the way here,” Obito said hurriedly. “So. Where to?”

Rin spread a map out on the low living room table. “Sandaime-sama said we probably didn’t stand a chance, but he agreed to let us go anyway. People in our class and the genin weren’t supposed to get hurt. So I think he feels kind of responsible. Besides, even if it’s a small chance, he wants her to come back, too.”

“I’m not sure what we’ll do if she agrees to heal me without coming back here,” Obito said. “But Minato-sensei will take over as Hokage as soon as he gets home. He’ll find out about Tobi anyway, so it’s not like I’ll get in any more trouble than I already am.”

Kakashi rolled his eyes but restrained whatever snarky comment he had. “The good news is there’s no time constraint on our mission—from the Sandaime, anyway. We’ll have to go back if Minato-sensei calls us back, though. We should have plenty of time to find Tsunade-sama.”

“It doesn’t feel like it,” Obito mumbled. “Didn't the Sandaime know where she is?”

Rin placed her index finger on the map, indicating a spot in the Land of Fire, southwest of the village. “She was apparently last seen in this gambling town. Jiraiya-sama already tried convincing her to come home, but she refused. That wasn’t too long ago, but there’s no guarantee she’ll still be there. Even if we find her, it’s going to be tough trying to get her help.”

“I can take us there. That’ll save time,” Obito said.

“How much are you able to use kamui right now?” Kakashi looked to Rin. “Would it hurt him to take us there?”

Rin had a slight frown. “He says he can do it. If he’s trying to downplay it and overreaches, I’ll be able to tell.”

"I'm not," Obito said steadily. “I can’t use it too much in a short amount of time without straining. Once will be fine. I can take us directly to the city. I’ll just make sure no one else is around before landing, so we don’t draw attention.”

“You can see where you’re landing before you go?”

Obito shook his head. “Not before I go. It’s not instant travel like Hiraishin. I can hover between this dimension and my kamui for a little while, and see what’s going on with either side. So I can look out before I land.”

“That’s good to know.” Rin reached to fold up the map. “It will come in handy if we need to gather information unseen. But can you really go directly to somewhere you’ve never been? How accurate are your jumps?”

Obito pointed his thumb at himself. “I have a lot of practice landing somewhere specific. If I know the direction and distance, I can get us there.”

“Okay.” Rin put the map into her bag and slipped it onto her shoulders.

She and Kakashi looked at Obito expectantly.

“Alright. Uh.” Obito held out his hands. “It’ll be less draining if we stop off in kamui first. So we’ll be there for a moment. It’s kind of a weird place. Don’t ask.”

Rin and Kakashi exchanged a questioning glance, then they each took hold of one of his hands.

Obito silently hoped it wouldn’t be too difficult to pull the other two across dimensions.

But when he tried it, it wasn’t that bad. He held on to them tightly and pulled them through in one smooth motion.

Obito’s mood lifted as he saw the kamui dimension all around them. He felt breathless, like he’d done a short sprint, but his head was clear and his muscles didn’t feel weak.

“This might work,” he said.

He noticed the other two looking around. No surprise, considering there was plenty to see. They took in the empty wooden cage, the overstuffed field tent, the strange tree.

Obito wished he’d taken them to a blank area of the dimension instead.

“Can I see that map again? It’ll have coordinates on it,” he said to draw their attention.

“Oh. Right. Should have thought of that.” Rin dug the map out of her bag.

Obito studied it for a moment, checking the guides on the edges of the map. He’d trained a lot when it came to jumping accurately. During the past four months while they were tracking Akatsuki, he’d also perfected working with Naruto’s Sage jutsu to seek out locations. Their combined abilities were unstoppable.

Obito froze halfway while re-folding the map. He frowned and shoved the map back into the bag.

“Problem?” Kakashi asked.

“Nothing. I just remembered something Tobi said. I know where to go now.”

He held out his hands again.

“Maybe it’s just me, but you and Tobi don’t seem like you get along all that well.” Rin took his hand. “Even though you’re the same person…”

“Maybe his older self is embarrassed,” Kakashi said.

Obito snatched his hand. “It’s complicated. We have the same past up until my capture by Kumo. That never happened to him. And everything after that has gone differently. The more time passes, the more different it is.”

“Interesting, but let’s stay on track here,” Kakashi said. “We’ll take the rest of today to look for Tsunade-sama. If we can’t find her in that amount of time, we’ll have to stay in or near the city. We’re not expected back anytime soon, but it’s better if we find her before she catches wind of us.”

“Right. Let’s go.”

* * *

Obito hovered just long enough to find them a good place to land between two buildings. Even though they were well within Fire territory, appearing out of thin air was likely to turn some heads.

“Okay.” Kakashi stepped toward the entrance of the alley. “From what I’ve heard, the fact that we’re underage won’t matter once people see our hitai-ate. We should be able to access any shops to look for Tsunade-sama. But be on your guard.”

“Some gambling houses might be members-only,” Rin pointed out as they made their way into the street.

“Or they may not even be open yet,” Obito said, looking around. It was just after noon, and not very busy. There were a few straggling tourists out on the street, but the place wouldn't fill up until nighttime.

“We’ll start at the inns,” Kakashi said. “If nothing turns up there, we’ll move on to the twenty-four hour slot arcades.”

“Should we split up to cover more ground?” Rin suggested.

Kakashi considered for a moment, then shook his head. “There might be bounty hunters here. We should be able to escape if anyone notices us, but this place is too easy to get lost in. It’s better if we stick together.”

They made their way down the street until they came across a row of inns crammed between two large casinos.

Their first attempts did not go very well. Everyone they talked to said Tsunade wasn’t around.

They went down all the inns on that street, then they moved on to the machine slots. There were some customers there, some still playing, others dozing on machines until someone ushered them out.

No one tried to stop them from going anywhere, but they weren’t very receptive to questions, either.

It felt like they’d walked all over town by the time they came to a row of small inns close to the gate on the opposite side from where they’d come in.

“It's getting late. If nothing turns up here, we should stop for the day. We're too likely to get in trouble at night,” Kakashi said.

They started with the inn on the farthest end, as always.

This attempt was no more successful than before. The old man at the front desk acted shifty, like he knew something. But he refused to talk to the team after finding out they weren’t paying customers.

“All we want is to talk to her,” Kakashi insisted. “The sooner we know where she is, the sooner we’ll leave you alone.”

“She ain’t here. Can’t help you.” The old man never looked up from his newspaper. His chin was covered in white stubble and his stomach sagged. He had a cane propped up against his chair, fashioned from a rough piece of wood.

Rin rested a hand on her chest earnestly. “We’re not debt collectors. I’m from the Konoha Medic Corps. We just want to make sure she’s doing alright.”

“That sounds like something a debt collector would say.”

“We’re clearly _not_ debt collectors.” Kakashi adjusted his hitai-ate. “We’re Konoha shinobi.”

The man sucked in a long breath and spat onto the floor.

“Guys, that’s not helping.” Obito leaned against the counter. “Sorry about them, ojiisan. They’re not used to meeting people outside of the village. I told them it was disrespectful to come barging in here demanding answers.”

The man grunted. “Whatever. Just get out of my sight.”

Kakashi gave him a murderous, _what-are-you-doing_ sort of glare.

“Truth is, I haven’t been out much either,” Obito said. “Especially not in a place like this. Do you have any recommendations?”

The old man finally looked at Obito and gave a dry cackle. “You’re a bit wet behind the ears for anything in this town, boy. Come back when you’ve got some hair on your chest. All you kids think a little plate of steel means you’re grown up. Well, I’ve got news for you: it don’t.”

Obito gave a soft, melancholy laugh. “I guess Kumo didn’t get the memo. They thought it was an invitation to brand me twenty times with a two-inch iron over twenty days. Once per day, without fail.”

The old man abruptly lowered his newspaper. “You’re that kid? The Flash’s shadow?”

“Yeah. Not to get all sentimental on you, but Tsunade-sama helped me after I came home. I never really got the chance to thank her. I wanted to tell her that people still need her.”

“Minato-sensei doesn’t know the three of us are here,” Rin said, making Kakashi’s eyes go wide with alarm. “We’re not trying to make Tsunade-sama come home. But if there’s anything we can say to her that might help… maybe it won’t do any good, but we have to try.”

The old man turned in his chair in a shuffling sort of way.

“I heard she was in town. But I stick around here, mostly, so I haven’t seen her. Only rumors. Word gets around when the Great Kamo is here.”

“Have you heard where she might be?” Rin asked.

He made a throat-clearing sound and grumbled. “She doesn’t always stay the night. A lot of people like to gamble all night long. But when she does stay somewhere, it has to be quiet. There are some one-room huts for rent just outside the city wall. If she plans on being here a while, that’d be my bet.”

“Thank you.” Rin bowed deeply.

“Wait,” he said as they made to leave. “You, Uchiha kid.”

“Yeah?”

“The war might be over, but you want to wait a while longer before you go around telling people who you are. There’s a good amount of money on you.”

“Yeah, I noticed.” Obito flipped his eye patch up, then down. “But I’ll be Hokage some day, so I might as well get used to that.”

They walked back out onto the street. Kakashi nodded toward the open gate, a few streets further down.

“That was reckless. Impressive, but reckless,” he said to Rin as they walked.

“It was _my_ idea,” Obito objected mildly. “Anyway, being careful was getting us nowhere. We were running out of places to search.”

Rin leaned forward to look at him from Kakashi’s other side. “That’s the first time I’ve ever heard you talk about what happened.”

Kakashi looked at him, too, but he didn’t say anything.

Obito scratched cheek and sighed. “That whole thing… it’s sort of a lie. I mean, it really happened, but I didn’t make it through because I’m some kind of tough war hero. I was unconscious the whole time. By the time I woke up, Kumo had given up on me and left me with Fumi-baa. Then Minato-sensei found me and took me home. The only painful part was the recovery.”

“I don’t see how that’s a lie,” Kakashi said. “You still have the scars on you. You still let Minato-sensei and the Uchiha clan head negotiate a way to keep hostilities with Kumo from reopening. Whatever people think of you now, you deserve it.”

Obito gave a sideways smile. “Even the ones who want to gouge my eyes out?”

Kakashi didn’t miss a beat. “Especially them.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: referenced torture
> 
> I'm not sure when ch 13 will post because I'm sort of doing these as I finish them now, but I am really focusing on getting it done.
> 
> Hope you all have a lovely day and I'll see you later!


	13. fragile precious things

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> posted 12/30/2020
> 
> Some of this fic's warnings apply. See end note for details.

Obito, Kakashi, and Rin approached the far gate leading out of town.

Just as the innkeeper had told them, there were a series of small, roughly-made buildings huddled beside the road just outside the gate.

Their matching design and construction suggested they were indeed lodgings for guests. But there was no sign naming the place, nor anything that looked like an office or a place to check in.

Kakashi stopped at the head of a gravel path leading to one of the rooms. “Whoever owns these probably lives somewhere in town. Or that old man sent us on a goose chase.”

“It looks pretty run down,” Obito said.

“We could try knocking on doors to see if this place is still in use?” Rin looked along the path, down the row of buildings.

“Sounds good to me. Maybe we’ll get lucky and find Tsunade-sama.” Obito started walking down one of the paths to a room.

The other two tensed, but followed behind him cautiously.

Obito stopped at the first room in the row and knocked on its chipped and water-stained wooden door.

They waited for a while, but no sound came from within the room.

“Nobody’s there?” Rin guessed.

Obito stuck his head through the door.

“Obito!”

He looked around the room. It was dark, bare, and empty.

He pulled his head back out of the door. “No one’s staying in this one. Let’s try another.”

But the next one they tried was empty, too.

“Maybe this place really is abandoned.” Rin glanced at Kakashi.

Kakashi looked down at the remaining row. “Or maybe Tsunade-sama didn’t want to have neighbors. It could mean we’re on the right track.”

“Right. We’ve already come this far, so let’s keep looking,” Obito said.

They tried the third room, then the fourth. It wasn’t until they approached the fifth room that Kakashi paused on the path.

“Kakashi?” Rin asked.

He put a hand over his nose. “Smells like sake.”

“This must be it.” Obito reached for the door, but he didn’t knock.

“Maybe we shouldn’t,” Rin said hesitantly.

“Can we really turn around now?” Kakashi pointed out.

Obito knocked on the door quietly. There was no response.

He looked back at the other two. Rin was concerned. Kakashi looked doubtful.

Obito tried the doorknob. To his surprise, it turned easily. He pushed the door open and craned his neck to look inside.

The room was dim. The only source of light was a singular window on the left wall, filtered under heavy tree cover.

There was not a lot to look at. It was a small, square space with rough wooden walls and dirty floor mats. On the back wall, there was a sink with a chipped mirror above, and a closet with a sliding door.

The low table in the middle of the room was littered with empty sake bottles. The trash bin beside the door was stuffed with takeout containers. The only thing in the open closet was a large leather bag slumped to one side.

“Okay. Someone is staying here, but they’re out,” Obito said.

“Do you think it’s Tsunade-sama?” Rin peered into the room.

“One way to find out.” Kakashi walked into the room and looked around. He took off his pack and sat down on the floor.

“We’re just going to barge in and wait till someone shows up?” Obito half-asked. He sat down as well.

“Why not? We’ll be in less danger if anyone _but_ her shows up,” Kakashi said grimly.

They waited in silence for a long time. Every now and then, one of them questioned the wisdom of what they were doing, or made some suggestion. But in the end, they always decided to stick it out a little longer. They needed his kamui to work reliably. Otherwise, there was little point in searching for the book now.

Shortly before dusk, the tree cover brought early shadows into the room. They had a small debate over whether to switch on the circular fluorescent light above their heads.

“If we sit here in the dark, she’ll think we’re enemies trying to ambush her,” Obito said.

“She’ll think that if the light is on, too,” Kakashi said. “Or she’ll think we’re collectors, and then she’ll never show up.”

But Kakashi was outvoted, so they turned the light on. The white artificial light cast a pallor over all of them.

“So, what _will_ we do if she doesn’t show up?” Obito asked.

Kakashi crossed his arms. “We stick to the plan. Stay in this town tonight, then keep looking in the morning. I think she’s here somewhere. Everyone was acting too shifty when we asked.”

Obito leaned with his elbow on the table, feeling slightly put out. He knew finding a healer would save time in the long run, but it was difficult to wait. “I’m getting a little better at using kamui with one eye. I think I’ll can move freely in this dimension again before long. If I can use it without getting worn out…”

Rin shook her head. “Maybe, but I don’t want you pushing yourself. Do you want to go out there and _then_ find out you can’t do it? It’s far too dangerous.”

The front door flew open and crashed into the wall hard enough to rattle the window.

Everyone jumped up.

Tsunade was standing on one foot, heel pointed toward them after kicking the door open. It was a miracle it hadn’t flown off its hinges. She lowered her foot to stand normally.

“Tsu-Tsunade-sama!” Obito spluttered. In the span of a couple seconds, he realized how foolhardy this mission was. The aura of hostility around the Slug Sannin was palpable.

Tsunade stalked in, watching them sharply. She put the paper bags she was holding onto the table. The bags clinked. She pulled a new bottle out and unstopped the cork.

“No,” she growled. She took a large swig directly from the bottle and walked over to the open closet, turning her back to them.

“But—you don’t even know why we’re here!” Obito tried to get his bearings. He took a step around the table toward her. “We’re not here to make you come home. We—”

Obito faltered when a hidden kunai came flying at him. It went through his chest and stuck into the far wall.

He stood still, heart thudding rapidly. If he hadn’t been looking directly at Tsunade at that moment, his kamui would not have activated in time. Younger or not, she was still named Hokage in another life. It was wise to remember that.

Tsunade tsked and looked back over her shoulder. “I was aiming for your head. You should get out of here before my aim gets even worse.”

Obito unfroze himself. “When the hunter-nin attacked Konoha, one of them did something to my right eye. Things at the village are so hectic right now, no one can fix it.”

Tsunade shrugged out of her haori and draped it over a hanger in the closet. “You seem fine to me. You’ve got guts to come here, but I’m _through_. I don’t heal anymore. And I sure as hell don’t care about some Uchiha brat’s vanity.”

“There’s more to it than that.” Obito hesitated, grappling with what to say. “The Hunters took something from me! It’s a book that has a dangerous jutsu in it. If Kiri figures out what it means, we’ll all be in trouble.”

Tsunade sat down at the table and pushed all the old bottles off with a sweep of her arm. It was only then that Obito noticed the unsteadiness in her movements. It was definitely not her first drink of the day.

She put the new bottle down and pulled a packaged anpan from one of the bags. The cellophane cracked sharply as she opened it.

“Leave.”

“Nobody else can help us right now,” Kakashi said. “An international war is bad enough. This thing they took—it could create something worse than that.”

“What the hell are you talking about?” Tsunade laughed scornfully before taking a bite of the anpan.

“Tsunade-sama.” Rin sat down at the table across from her.

“What, girl? Spare me the theatrics. Nothing that important comes down to a group of kids. Or a washout like me.”

“It’s a long story, but we really do need you. And you’re not a washout. We may not have had the chance to talk much, but I really look up to you—as a medic and kunoichi.”

Tsunade finished off the bottle in one long gulp, then opened another.

Rin took a deep breath. “I’ve looked up to you ever since I learned about the standards you convinced everyone to implement. You saw a problem with the system and worked to fix it. You didn’t just heal people, you saved countless others by changing the rules. You turned your grief into powerful change. It’s one of the bravest things I’ve ever heard of.”

Tsunade crumpled the anpan wrapper into a ball and stared at Rin, amber eyes narrowed. “Hardly. I thought I could put the pieces of myself back together by taking action. But I was wrong. Nothing I did stopped it from happening again. I couldn’t save anyone that really mattered. So who gives a shit?"

Obito sat beside Rin. He looked hesitantly between her and Tsunade. “Coming back after what happened to your brother wasn’t a fluke, or useless. I don’t… think it’s wrong to try and make things better. Hope isn’t always this perfect, feel-good kind of thing, right? I think it’s just the will to keep trying. Maybe it slipped away, but… but it had to come from somewhere. You wanted to keep going.”

Tsunade gave him a hard glare. “My aim has only gotten worse since you started talking. Get. Out.”

Obito felt a prickling in the back of his throat. He bent his head low, hands balled into fists on his knees.

“Please help me. It’s hard to explain, but I _have_ to get that book back, even if it means sneaking in to Kiri. A friend of mine could die if I don’t. I made a mistake. I let it get away from me. I’ll do whatever it takes to get it back.”

Tsunade’s only response was to take another long swig.

Kakashi put a hand on his shoulder. “Maybe we should go. We’ll just have to wait for Minato-sensei to come home. At least we tried.”

“Wait,” Obito said desperately. “You said the mission didn’t have a time limit. Maybe we can jump to Lightning. I can ask Fumi-baa to help me.”

Tsunade chuckled and leaned back with the bottle in hand, swaying slightly. “I never thought Minato’s straitlaced little team would resort to treason.”

“Our conflict with Kumo is over. Besides, the only reason we’d go there is to look for a medic. One who will listen to us.” Rin put her hands on the table and rose.

“It’s not worth the risk,” Kakashi said. “Face it. We’ve done all we can do.”

Obito looked up reluctantly. He shifted his weight, about to stand. But Tsunade dipped back forward and swept everything off the table at once. Obito fell back, startled.

“Turn around and lay your head right here.” She tapped the middle of the table.

Obito looked at the others questioningly, then back at Tsunade. “What do you mean—”

“If the main problem is you can’t use the Sharingan, it probably means those Uchiha-sized tenketsu behind your eyes have been blocked or damaged. Which means a delicate procedure using a chakra scalpel to reconnect the pathways.” She gave him a crooked smile. “Of course, one slip of the hand could blind you instead.”

“Um…”

Tsunade tapped the table again. “Trust me, you don’t want me to do much more than diagnose. But I can tell you exactly what your healer needs to know.”

“T-Thank you, Tsunade-sama!” Rin said.

Obito was suddenly no longer sure he wanted Tsunade near his eye, but he did as she said and lay back on the table.

The garish fluorescent light was directly above. He pulled off his eye patch and blinked. The world was still noticeably blurrier on his right side.

“Do you have a light?” Tsunade asked Rin.

Rin gave her a small pen light and Tsunade shined it into his eye. Obito tried to stay still and ignore the overwhelming smell of sake.

“We went to the hospital, and they said the same thing,” Rin said. “We believe it was the hunter squad’s medic who did this. I saw him use a chakra scalpel on Obito while the fight was still going on. I’ve never seen someone use it that way.”

“You got off easy. Every Kiri elite knows how to efficiently dismantle a body. A medic of theirs could take you halfway apart without killing you. They are brutal, but precise.”

Tsunade clicked off the light, leaving Obito seeing spots. Then she pressed a hand glowing with energy to the side of his head, above the cheekbone.

“Whoever examined you at the hospital was right. They wanted to disarm you while leaving the eye intact. They must have had serious plans for you.”

Tsunade pulled back abruptly, and the glow around her hand faded.

“What’s wrong?” Rin asked, voice pinched with worry.

“What? Something’s wrong?” Obito shifted awkwardly.

“What…” Tsunade’s voice wavered. She picked up the worn leather loop around Obito’s neck. He realized the problem in a split second, but by then the crystal pendant was in Tsunade’s hand.

After a beat of stunned confusion, her fist closed around the crystal. “ _You stole this from me_.”

“No!” Obito cried. He grasped the necklace and made it intangible. The stone fell out and he quickly rolled out of the way, making sure it was still attached around his neck.

“You have some nerve to steal from me, when _you_ came to ask _me_ for help.” Tsunade turned to him with a grimacing smile and a bared fist.

“Wait, Tsunade-sama! You’re mistaken.” Rin stepped bravely in front of her. Kakashi stood in front of Obito. “We were here the whole time. Obito didn’t steal anything.”

“That’s my grandfather’s necklace. If you plan on selling it, better do it quickly. Otherwise, you may not live long enough to enjoy the spoils.”

“It can’t be that. I’m sure it just looks the same,” Rin pleaded.

“ _Do something,_ ” Kakashi hissed at Obito.

Obito took the necklace off and dropped it into kamui to keep it safe. He felt guilty, but there wasn’t much of a choice. “Rin’s right. We didn’t steal anything. All your stuff is exactly where it was when we came in.”

Tsunade narrowed her eyes at him suspiciously, then turned to walk to her bag. Rin and Kakashi exchanged confused looks as she rummaged through the bag, searching.

She paused, then slowly straightened with her version of the necklace pooled in one hand.

“See? It was just a misunderstanding,” Rin said carefully.

It wasn’t, of course, but Obito didn’t think saying so would be a good idea. He only hoped Tsunade would assume the alcohol had interfered with her senses in some way. Or even better, forget about it entirely.

“Let’s go,” Kakashi said quietly.

Obito shook his head. “It’s not over yet. We can try asking when she’s sobered up.”

“If you want to come back in the morning, fine. But we’re not getting anywhere right now. And Lightning is out. There are too many unknowns involved there.”

“Wait.” Tsunade turned. “You kids stay here. This town is loud at night, and you’ve done very well making yourselves known all over the place. No one will bother you here.” She slipped the necklace over her own head, apparently no longer willing to leave it in the bag. Then she pulled her haori from the hanger and put it on.

“What about you?” Rin asked.

“I’m going out.” Tsunade walked past them, pulled the kunai out of the wall, and left. She slammed the door behind her.

They all stood staring at the door for a while.

“So… what do we do now?” Rin looked at them.

“She has a point about the town,” Kakashi said. “But what if she comes back later and forgets that she invited us? All the other rooms out here are unoccupied, so let’s take one of them. Even if we have to break in, it’s only for tonight.”

Obito placed a hand over his chest where the necklace used to be. It didn’t weigh much, but he felt the loss of it. While they were here, it was better to keep it tucked away inside kamui.

“Let’s stay here,” he said, surprising the other two. “If she sobers up by the morning, maybe we can ask again. We’ve got nothing to lose by trying.”

“Except our heads.”

Rin walked between them. “Maybe there’s nothing we can do to help her, but… she asked us to stay, so maybe we should. At least it’s something.”

Kakashi sighed. “If you say so. Let’s try to get some sleep. Be prepared to leave at a moment’s notice.”

“Sure thing, Kakashi-taichou,” Obito said, the sarcasm mostly out of habit.

They all settled on the floor with their bags under their heads. Obito lay on his back with the wall on his right side. They all made sure not to lay too close to the front door.

Obito looked through the window above him for a while, then closed his eyes and tried breathing slowly.

* * *

Tobi woke to the sound of mingled voices down on the street. The autumn nights were chilly, but he’d taken to leaving the window cracked whenever he was disguised and alone. There was a cadence to the District he’d long since forgotten, and it was hard not to listen.

Today it sounded subtly different. Tobi, still cloaked in his younger disguise, pushed the window open and peered down into the street.

The cobwebs of sleep cleared from his mind quickly as he saw small groups of people milling around—some standing to chat, others walking toward one end or the other. The street was by no means full, but after days of emptiness, it suddenly seemed more alive than ever. There were more non-Uchiha around than usual, and plenty of people wearing flak vests.

Of course this would be his luck.

Tobi withdrew from the window and strode out, through the living room to the shallow foyer. He slipped on some sandals and ran down to the shop.

Hinako was standing at the ancient register with beaded reading glasses perched on the end of her nose, lips moving silently as she counted money. Tobi skidded to a halt in front of the counter.

“What’s going on?” he blurted out.

Hinako raised her brows at him with the slightest hint of a smile. “Good to see you looking lively.”

Tobi wasn’t in a mood to play dumb. “Squads have returned. What about Minato-sensei?”

“Go to the gate and see for yourself.”

Tobi cursed mentally. Avoiding Minato as long as possible was the wiser move. But doing so for no reason would only make him look more suspicious.

Without another word, he turned heel and dashed out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: alcohol usage, implied alcohol abuse
> 
> Ch 14 will post... whenever I'm done with it! yeah :'D


	14. hidden beast

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> posted 1/5/2021

It didn’t take Obito long to fall asleep after a day combing the town for clues about Tsunade’s whereabouts, then meeting the Sannin herself. After Tsunade left and the team settled down, the exhaustion quickly set in.

When the team set out, Obito hadn’t thought twice about camping out with them. Since losing the Book, he was too busy—or too preoccupied—to worry about visions of the Sanbi. And the dreams had become less frequent lately.

When he found himself looking up at a clear blue sky, Obito sensed he was dreaming, but it was in a vague, far-off sort of way. The familiar scenery was laced with just a faint hint of unease, like the smell of incoming rain.

It was a lazy, peaceful day, one of many spent training or tracking Akatsuki in the other time. The brilliant colors and giant plants of Mount Myoboku were as real as real life.

They lay side-by-side on the grass under the shade of an overlarge fern.

Obito had his arms crossed behind his head, nearly dozing. The toads refused to teach him Frog Kumite because he didn’t have a contract with them, but they were always willing to spar. Even when he got kicked around, it made for a useful experience.

“‘Should ask tou-chan if you can join the contract,” Naruto said, punctuating it with a yawn. “I asked these guys, but Boss Toad said it’s better to have it on your own side.”

“I’ll ask him after the war,” Obito said.

A cloud high above them moved, and he blinked slowly in the light filtering through the giant frond.

“We helped Lava Lady find the Rokubi, but now we can’t go after the other bijuu until Akatsuki does. It’s so annoying! All because nobody wants to listen to us!”

Obito turned his head to look across at Naruto. He was staring up at the underside of the leaf, brows scrunched determinedly.

“They’re out there in danger,” Naruto continued. “I can find them no problem with my Sage Mode. But if we take them away _now_ and people find out, it’ll look like Konoha is going around stealing bijuu. That’ll only make them turn to Akatsuki faster. There could even be another war.”

Obito rolled onto his side. He grabbed a fistful of grass, digging his fingers into the soft earth. “About that. I… kind of had an idea.”

“Really? What?” Naruto sat up on his elbow quickly.

“It’s a little out there. I don’t think Jiraiya-sama would like it.”

Naruto grinned. “Come on, what is it?”

Obito smiled. “I’ve been talking to Tobi, trying to find out anything I can about Akatsuki. He says that, aside from the leaders, they don’t know him very well. If we use the seals…”

Obito paused, confused. A nagging feeling told him that plan wasn’t possible, that something about the whole thing was off. But what?

The pressure in the air dropped. Obito looked up into the sky. Dark clouds were moving in at an unnatural pace. He jumped up and raised his arms to guard against a sudden gust of wind.

Rain started to fall and quickly became a torrent, rolling off the great ferns and stalks, making their heads bob.

The smell of atmosphere fell heavy over him. Lightning flashed, then thunder rolled over the landscape.

Mist rose up into a dense wall. A shadow loomed inside of it.

The air cracked again, this time with an enraged roar that shook the ground.

Obito whirled around, eyes wide. But Naruto was gone.

He turned again and dove into the forest of grasses and stalks, pushing his way through, shoving toward the great shadow. The grasses picked and pulled at his clothing.

_Please don’t go._

All this could be reversed. He only needed to reach in time. To stretch out the space between just a little farther.

Reach and move forward. Reach and move forward.

A giant spiny tail slammed to the ground in front of Obito and he was thrown backward. He rolled onto the grass, air knocked clear from his lungs. He sat up and couldn’t breathe. He put a hand to his throat, straining for breath. It came away trembling, slick with blood.

“Obito!” Kakashi said.

Someone was shaking his shoulder.

Obito gave a start, sucking in a long breath like he’d forgotten how breathing worked. He sat up and put a hand to his throat. It was whole and dry.

“Are you okay?” Rin whispered. Kakashi pointed back over his shoulder. Obito saw Tsunade there, slumped with her arms crossed over the table. But she didn’t move.

“I’m fine. Sorry,” Obito whispered.

“I woke up because you bumped into me. Then I thought you were choking,” Kakashi said.

“It was just a bad dream.”

“Do you want to talk about it?” Rin was sitting up attentively, but her eyes were laced with sleep. Kakashi’s, too.

Growing slowly more conscious, Obito felt red embarrassment creeping up to his ears. He was grateful it was dark. “It was just—the Sanbi. It was terrifying. If you ever met an angry bijuu, you’d understand.”

Kakashi looked hesitant when he said, “I thought I heard you say, ‘don’t go’.”

Obito drew his knees up to his chest and pressed a hand over his face. He felt sure it must be a beacon by now. “I’m getting better at using kamui with one eye,” he said, voice muffled. “Can’t we go after the book now and worry about healing later?”

Rin made a small sound like a question. Obito looked up in time to see Kakashi’s shrug in response.

“I don’t know,” Kakashi said. “Don’t you need both Sharingan to break in to other dimensions? Unless you heal, you won’t be able to use the book even if you find it. Or am I wrong?”

“No, you’re right.” Obito crossed his arms loosely over his knees. “But I want it back, even if I can’t use it. I’ve already failed so many times.”

“Don’t say that—”

“It was my idea to go after the Sanbi. Fugaku got everything in motion, but it was my idea. I didn’t know it already had a host. When Kiri saw what we were doing, they cut the man down. I was right there, but I couldn’t stop it. Then Minato-sensei got hurt, and now the book is gone. It’s just like my right side.”

“It… is?” Rin was clearly trying to follow his line of thought, but got lost along the way.

Obito hesitated. Tsunade seemed unconscious, but he couldn’t explain in front of her. Even if he wanted to. “Sorry. What I mean is, sometimes it feels like I’m on a set path, no matter how hard I try to get away from it. I know you guys don’t get it. But the book—”

“We know. It’s important, and we _will_ get it back. We will,” Kakashi said.

Rin nodded. “Once we know where it is, getting it will be the easy part. _If_ your kamui works the way it’s supposed to.”

“Wait.” Obito sat up more fully, waking up. “Kakashi, you’re right.”

“Yes. About what?”

“I need to heal before I can travel to other dimensions. But if I do, there’s one I can reach without the book, because my kamui _is_ the pathway.”

“Is that helpful in some way?”

Obito made his voice barely audible. “The Hokage on that side is strict when it comes to dimensional travel. But I just realized, we don’t need _his_ help. Another version of Naruto lives there. I’ve never met him before, but… he should be a Sage, too. We could find the book in no time, _and_ have some good backup.”

“Is that really a good idea?” Kakashi asked immediately. “If you’ve never met him, how do you know he has that ability? Or that he’d want to help us? Or that he’s even on our side?”

“Just trust me on that, okay? He would help us. I’m sure of it.”

“If we need backup, what if we ask ourselves, too?” Rin said. “You brought your older self back to help.”

Obito gave a soft whine and rubbed his head. “That’s completely different. I can’t explain right now.”

“Okay… but it still means you need to get your power back,” Rin pointed out.

“Right. We’ll figure it out later. If you can, try to catch a few more hours of sleep. I know _I_ don’t want to be the one to wake her up.” Kakashi shifted back over to his sleeping spot and lay back down.

Obito gave a nod, and Rin moved back, too.

Obito lay down. He was fully awake now.

He’d almost forgotten that Naruto existed in the far future timeline as well. The only person he interacted with from that time was Kakashi.

But he’d already gone behind the Rokudaime’s back once in order to drop Sasuke into that world.

Sasuke hadn’t asked for help finding his older self, and Obito never offered, so his experience of that dimension was still very slight. Kakashi never revealed much about it, not even about his students or the village. The safe house where they hid the jinchuuriki was in a remote, mountainous area within the Land of Fire.

Obito rested a hand on his chest, where the crystal would be if he hadn’t stored the necklace in kamui. The thought of meeting a different version of Naruto sent a spike of nerves through him. Would there be differences, like between him and Tobi? Would the other _really_ be willing to help?

Could he keep it together if they met?

He had to, that was all. For the sake of finding the Book.

Obito craned his head to watch Tsunade’s barely visible outline. As usual, Kakashi was right. Waking her would not be smart. It might not even get them back on the road faster.

Because now he was convinced, even if Rin and Kakashi weren’t. With Naruto’s ability to find anything, and his ability to go anywhere, they could solve this in under a day.

They just had to convince Tsunade first.

* * *

Obito had every intention of laying awake until Tsunade got up. But it was as if he blinked, then woke up with his limbs sprawled out and cheery morning sunshine filling the small hut.

He sat up quickly. Rin was sitting at the small table, looking put out. Kakashi sat leaning against the back wall.

“She snuck out on us,” Kakashi said when he saw Obito awake. “Leave it to a Sannin. I didn’t notice at all.”

“What?” Obito was up on his feet in a second.

“I think she’ll be back eventually. Her things are still here. And she left this note.” Rin held up a scrap of paper. “It says: ‘Don’t go back into town. There is an outhouse behind the building. Figure out your own food or go home.’”

“What does that mean?”

Rin frowned. “She isn’t kicking us out, but it doesn’t seem like she wants to help us, either.”

“We made ourselves too conspicuous in town. Either Konoha shinobi aren’t that welcome here, or someone caught wind of a huge bounty walking around.” Kakashi looked at Obito.

“Maybe not,” Obito said halfheartedly. “What if it’s just a ploy to keep us from following her? She might’ve been drunk, but she saw enough torealize you’d stop us from going, Kakashi.”

Kakashi raised a brow. “Maybe you’re right. But it’s a risk that won’t be useful to us. She has to come back here sometime. We should wait.”

“For all we know, the stuff is a decoy too. She might’ve skipped town already and did all that to slow us down.”

“If she ran away, then there’s even less point. We’d be better off going home.”

Rin placed her palms flat on the table and stood, interrupting their argument.

“I’m less famous than either of you. I can alter my look a little without anyone noticing. I’ll go listen in town and bring us back some extra food.”

Kakashi blinked in surprise. “If that’s the case, I can disguise myself too—”

“What if you have to enter a gambling house? You know they use jutsu detection seals or sensor-types to make sure no one’s cheating. Besides, even if you manage to fool the sensors, do you think you can convince Tsunade-sama to come back here?”

Obito shook his head. “You shouldn’t go alone. You’re a girl—” Rin shot him a sharp look that made him change track. “I mean, we’re kids, so we stand out in this town no matter what. That’s why we decided not to split up in the first place.”

Rin’s shoulders relaxed. “Alright. We all agree, then. It’s better to wait here than risk going into town.”

“Wh...” Obito paused, wrong-footed.

The crease at the corners of Kakashi’s eyes showed he was smiling. Rin smiled a little, too. She cast Obito an apologetic look. “So that’s the best thing to do right now. We couldn’t find her even when we combed the town. But she’ll be back here eventually, and this time we’ll convince her for sure.”

* * *

Tobi looked surreptitiously back and forth as he made his way through the village toward the front gate. There was no doubt about it. The air was full of joyous reunions and celebration.

The Third Shinobi World War was officially over.

He took back streets through the village to avoid meeting anyone who might slow him down by trying to have a chat. Even after all these years, he still remembered how to navigate Konoha’s many sidestreets and tree-shaded alleys perfectly.

Tobi slowed as he approached the enormous green gates. He flattened himself against the side of a building and craned his head to see around the few shopping stalls lining the front plaza.

It looked like most of the crowd had already dispersed, individual squads released to return to their homes and families to rest. What remained were uniformed medics helping to move the wounded and dead along to where they needed to go.

Tobi tensed when he spotted Minato. He was still in full field gear and looked tired, but happy. He spoke to a couple of medics, and they dipped their heads and gestured, as if to refuse any further offers of help.

Minato nodded. Then he looked around the plaza.

Tobi knew he might very well sense the Hiraishin mark on him already. Backing away now would cause more trouble than it was worth. He walked out into full view.

Minato’s face brightened when he saw him. “Obito!” He trotted up to meet him, then looked around a little more. “Thank goodness we made it back without any problems. Where are Rin and Kakashi?”

Tobi knew he wouldn’t be able to muster the enthusiasm his younger self should have about the end of the war. He settled on a mood that was somewhere between happy and exhausted. “They’re not here right now. Sandaime-sama let them leave to go look for Tsunade-sama. We didn’t know you’d be back this soon.”

“Tsunade…?” Minato examined Tobi’s disguised face, including the eye patch he wore, and gave a short nod. “I heard about what happened. I wanted to come home as soon as we found out the village was attacked. But we were ordered to press on. In the end, that turned out to be for the best. We’d have played right into their hands if we retreated then.”

“It’s a long shot, but they wanted to find out if she could heal me,” Tobi said. “The hospital is going to be backed up for a while. They’ll definitely want to come back now that you’re here, though. We should send them a message.”

Minato looked back at the medics, the last few of them escorting injured shinobi down the main road. “Maybe… I don’t know if they can get through to her. Sandaime-sama must believe they have even a slim chance. Or maybe he wanted to give them something to do. Either way, I don’t mind waiting for them to return on their own. I have plenty of catching up to do here.”

“There’s something else,” Tobi pressed. He both did and did not want to clue Minato in to the kids’ plans. On the one hand, they were playing a dangerous game that went far above their heads. On the other, it was simply their choice. His freedom was at stake.

Minato read his hesitation with a furrowed brow. “What?”

“I don’t want to say it out here. But Kushina-san knows. I can explain the rest of it later.”

Minato glanced up as if checking the sun. “Alright. Sandaime-sama wants to meet with me as soon as possible, and I have other things to take care of. Have you recovered enough to meet me on top of the Monument?”

“Yes,” was all Tobi could think of to say.

“Good. Be there this afternoon. I don’t know exactly when. I’ll try not to keep you waiting.”

“Okay.”

Minato gave him one last glance, then trotted forward to catch up with the medics.

Tobi’s gaze strayed to the far-off Monument. He gave a _tsk_ under his breath. He’d always known it, but this was going to be tricky.

Tobi stood in the plaza a while longer, until Minato and the medics were out of sight. Everyone else was too busy to pay him much attention.

He wasn’t particularly interested in fighting Minato under these circumstances. Whatever happened later, he wanted to live long enough to find a way out of this.

Revealing his identity was out for now. When it came to gathering information, there were other ways. But everything was that much harder without kamui.

Looking up, Tobi set off walking down the main street. Familiarizing himself with the village once again wasn’t a bad way to fill time.

* * *

Tobi’s step faltered just a little when he approached the top of the Monument and saw that Minato was already sitting there. Minato looked back at him and nodded in acknowledgment.

Instinct warned him not to get close. But he still had a part to play, and play it well. Tobi continued forward and sat beside Minato on the stone.

“Kushina told me about the Book. You were right not to mention it out in the open.” Minato looked out over the horizon.

“We have to get it back,” Tobi said firmly. “Maybe Rin and Kakashi can convince Tsunade-sama to come home. But even if they don’t, we can’t let Kiri have it. We shouldn’t wait. We should do something _now_.”

Minato continued to gaze over the village, wind lightly tossing the ends of his hair, looking every bit the new Hokage. He also looked younger than seemed possible. In hindsight, it was obvious he’d died before even reaching the peak of his abilities. That was reason enough to be wary of the future.

Tobi pushed through the silence. “Well? What’re we going to do?”

“I haven’t had time to learn all the details,” Minato said. “But right now, it seems the small group of ANBU who tracked the intruders out of the village has gone missing. I know how you feel, but I don’t want you pursuing this in your condition. I will take over the search from here.”

“But—why? I can help! I’m the one who messed this up! You have enough to—”

“And so do you. It’s better to stay in the village and rest until you’re healed. We don’t need to lose you, too.” Minato looked back at him regretfully.

Something didn’t feel right. Minato was hiding something. But what? Was he referring to Obito’s Bingo entry? Or something else?

“Then...” Tobi cast around for the right words. “Then you can keep looking. Fine. But if they bring Tsunade-sama back before you find it—when it’s time to go after them, I want to go too.”

“We’ll see. I’ll let you know.” Minato gave a smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes. “That’s all I wanted to say. I know it’s disappointing, but this is too important.”

Tobi got the sense that he was dismissed. He stood up on the rock. Something was missing from his understanding. But as his younger self, all he could do was protest about being excluded. That wouldn’t get him anywhere.

What would Minato want to keep from Obito? Had he found out something that would make Tobi’s younger self act impulsively?

There had to be a way to get at the truth.

“Okay. I’ll be at home helping out Hina-baa. Let me know if anything changes.”

Minato nodded, then turned back to the view over the village. Tobi’s sandals scritched the dirt as he turned away

After all, there were other ways to find information.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bit of a setting-up chapter, but we'll be on the final portion of the story soon. :D I estimate it will end somewhere between 60-70k.
> 
> Ch 15: _the return_ will post as soon as it's done!
> 
> Thank you all for reading! Happy New Year!


	15. the return

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> posted 1/11/21
> 
> See end notes for warnings on this chapter

Tobi looked out his bedroom window at the darkening sky. Once it was past time for the old lady to go home, he planned to sneak out.

After coming home, he had dutifully spent his evening helping Hinako with the shop and keeping a close watch and listen on everyone who came in.

As expected, the village was still abuzz with excitement and celebration. Many of them would stay awake into the night. The streets wouldn’t be empty for a while. But he could use that to his advantage.

Thankfully, that wasn’t his only advantage. His earlier foray around the village proved that everything was just as he remembered, including the nearly invisible measures the Barrier and Security corps used to protect certain areas from unauthorized access.

To test it, he’d gone to the jounin armory under the pretext of refilling his supplies after the last battle. No one paid much attention to him. No alarms were raised. The sensors did not detect an intruder.

Tobi pulled the curtains shut and paced out into his living room, running the plan through his mind again.

He needed all the advantages he could get. Even if everything went his way, this step was impossible to take back. At _best_ , he’d find nothing, and the task would go smoothly enough to give him several hours’ head start before Minato caught on.

But Tobi knew it wouldn’t go the best way. He’d felt a growing unease ever since Obito told him about Madara. The old Uchiha _never_ let anything interfere with him. Not family, not love, not death, and _certainly_ not a child. If he had nothing to do with this, it was only because he hadn’t decided on a suitable way to use Uchiha Obito yet.

The real question was whether it was worth doing something about.

Tobi returned to his room and slid the door shut behind him. Then he stood there for a moment, hand resting on the door.

This was the last opportunity to let everything go. To keep his disguise on, go to bed, and let the consequences fall wherever they would. Or he could simply leave, disappear like a ghost and find freedom.

If his younger self got killed, he would be trapped in this world forever. But was that such a bad thing?

He knew the future and all the players behind it. If he claimed his younger self’s eyes, he could carve out a place for himself and direct the future without limit. All nine of the Beasts existed here. Nagato was here.

All the more reason to end Madara.

All the more reason to leave now, to forget about taking a detour into the village that would inevitably incur Minato’s wrath. Doing it this way was a larger risk for a smaller gain. A fool’s gamble.

“Kai.”

A plume of vapor surrounded Tobi, returning him to his true form.

He walked slowly over to the bed, where he’d laid out some clothes. Gloves and a cowled undershirt to cover his hands, arms, and neck. Standard Konoha-nin attire, complete with flak vest and hitai-ate. A heavy black mantle. The _to_ armband and a mask he'd found in town. It was the least flashy one he could get without stealing from the ANBU themselves: plain white and shaped to resemble a karasu tengu, with a short beak and feathers carved lightly into the wooden surface.

It would have to do.

Tobi put on everything except the armband, mask, and hitai-ate. He wrapped bandages around his head to cover his missing eye and most of the scars.

He picked up the hitai-ate and hesitated. The metal plate caught the tiny sliver of light from between the window curtains. He turned it over and tied it loosely from his neck.

Now he looked like any nameless chuunin freshly returned from the war.

Tobi glanced at the clock on the nightstand. The next and largest hurdle was timing. He wanted to meet the head captain of the ANBU alone, in a controlled situation. But his jounin clearance wasn’t enough to let him wander deep into the heart of the organization. He’d have to find the captain in his public-facing office at a time when others were not as likely to be there.

In his world, Tobi learned as much as he could about the ANBU. He never discovered the head captain’s identity, but he did know that a second-in-command took over for him at night. Each day before going home, the captain spent a little time in his office filing paperwork and fielding requests from people outside the organization.

If he kept to that schedule as rigidly as Tobi expected, then the revelry of tonight could work in his favor. Unruly celebrators were the domain of Uchiha Fugaku and his force. The ANBU would all be looking outward. Everyone else thought it was a holiday. Odds were good that no one would bother the captain until his second came in to relieve him.

The final wild card was Minato. But he was the type to stay out only for as long as it was polite, preferring to go home as soon as possible to rest in his lover’s arms.

Tobi’s Hiraishin mark would not be a problem. He’d burned it off, just as his younger self did. It would give him a head start, however slight.

Tobi tucked the mask and armband into a pocket underneath his mantle. There was nothing left but to walk through the village as himself. To go slowly enough to blend in, but quickly enough that no one had a chance to look at him twice.

Tobi ran his gloved fingertips over the leaf symbol stamped into the hitai-ate.

To think _that_ was the easy part.

* * *

The head captain of the ANBU, direct subordonate to the Sandaime and now Yondaime Hokage, was exactly where Tobi hoped to find him. He sat dutifully at his desk, among scrolls and encrypted notes, masked and hidden head to toe just as Tobi was. The design on his mask abstractly resembled a boar.

He looked up and paused at the sight of Tobi standing inside the cramped office. The slight hesitation was the only mark of his surprise. Few people knew where to find him at this hour. And Tobi had come in masked and undetected, neither by the ANBU nor the sensors.

Boar stood from his chair quickly. “Who are you?”

Tobi adopted a formal, neutral tone. “Good evening. I am captain of the To unit, the special squad recently requested by Yondaime-sama. As the head of secret ops, you should be aware of this.” He tapped the stolen armband now displayed on his sleeve.

Boar let his hands relax by his sides. Tobi knew better than to think it meant his guard was down. “I am aware. But I must have overlooked the scroll containing your unit roster. I’ve only heard one name linked to your group, and even that is just a rumor. What is your designation?”

“Tobi,” he responded smoothly. “But please do not speak about me to anyone besides the Yondaime. I am required to introduce myself to you, but it is best if we remain a rumor. Sorry for moving quickly to the point, but I’ve been assigned to retrieve a certain item that was stolen during the chaos of the Kiri attack. Since I already had to come here, I would like you to confirm something for me related to the issue.”

“I can’t give you any classified information unless Yondaime-sama vouches for you first,” Boar said immediately. “I want to hear it from him.”

Tobi was unruffled. “I understand. I only need confirmation of where your pursuit team made their final report. Minato-sama believed it was somewhere near the border to Land of Rivers, but he thought it best to double check with you while I was here. If you happen to have coordinates, that would be better.”

Boar said nothing for a moment. Tobi waited patiently, at least on the surface. Within, he was all too aware of the passing time. He did not want anyone else to come in and see him.

After a pause that felt far too long, Boar opened his desk drawer and pulled out a worn, folded map. He unfolded it over his desk and placed his fingertip close to the border with Rivers.

“The last report came from here. But the SOS came from here.” He pointed at a spot within Rain territory. “That was four days ago.”

Tobi felt his breath go short. It was a purely emotional reaction, a holdover from his former life. He no longer needed to breathe. But when he spoke, his voice was perfectly calm. “So you are certain they were all killed?”

“Aa. As certain as I can be without risking a fight with Hanzo. But I never heard anything about a stolen item.”

“Good. Let’s keep it that way.” Tobi bowed. “Thank you for the confirmation. I look forward to working with you in the future.”

Tobi used _shunshin_ to leave the office. Soon he was out, running and jumping across rooftops for the nearest section of the outer wall.

Leaving would be easy. The challenge came after. He’d lit a fuse of unpredictable length.

Now he was sure. Minato had found out that everyone involved with the book was killed. He probably assumed it was destroyed, or at least out of reach, deep within The Salamander’s territory. He was battling between his own grief and a desire not to let his young student do anything rash. Maybe he even had his own search plans.

Everyone wanted to handle this crisis in their own way. They were all wrong.

Burning off his mark gave Tobi a head start, but he knew Minato would come after him as soon as he realized. Maybe he would go to the apartment first, only to find no one there. Anything to buy just a little more time.

Tobi cursed softly as he jumped down from the wall and into the woods.

Maybe this world was doomed after all, if it was down to someone like him to save it.

* * *

The next day passed the same way as the previous. Obito, Kakashi, and Rin waited for something to change, spending their idle time talking circles around plans and occasionally bickering.

But the time allowed some of Obito’s frantic drive to coalesce into something more determined.

He knew what they needed to do. If he could break into the future timeline, their search would be over. They would have the ability and firepower to win against anyone they encountered.

Obito knew it. He could feel it. He went to sleep expecting to be haunted by the spectre of the Sanbi again, biting his tongue to stop himself from suggesting they spend the night looking for Tsunade despite the risks. A little more patience had to pay off.

But they were all surprised the next morning.

Obito awoke to the sound of the sink in the corner running. He pried his eyes open and rolled onto his elbows.

Tsunade was washing her face in the sink. She turned the spigots off and patted her face dry.

Beside him, Kakashi sat up and looked toward Tsunade, too. Rin raised her head off the mat, blinked, then scooted up away from Kakashi. Her bag, which had started out as a pillow, was a few feet away. She grabbed it and made a show of rummaging through its contents, pulling out a small comb and making hurried swipes with it through her hair.

Tsunade turned away from the cracked mirror above the sink and scrutinized them.

Her gaze landed on Obito, and he saw her eyes flick to where the necklace would have been, if he’d been wearing it. Her brows drew close together.

“Do you kids really plan on going to Lightning if you don’t get what you want? You realize this is the worst time to be caught in another territory without orders, don’t you?”

Obito stood. “That was my idea, and I’m still not counting it out. But Rin and Kakashi wouldn’t do it. They’d only come along if I threatened to go without them.”

Tsunade gave a short, choppy laugh. “If you’re worried about me reporting you, don’t be. I’d be in even worse trouble than you by now if the old man wasn’t so soft. Though I am surprised Kakashi let you come this far. Heard he was a little stickler.”

Obito glared. “Kakashi has done his best to keep us safe. He didn’t have to come along, but he did, even though he was against this whole thing from the start.”

Tsunade shrugged. “I’ve heard of the healer you mentioned. She should be able to help you. But I think you’re better off going back home to wait for a spot at the hospital. Is it really worth the risk? How will you find this thing once you’re healed, anyway?”

“I have a way, but I need to be healed first,” Obito said. “However we do it, that’s the fastest way. The best way.”

Rin zipped up her pack and stood. So did Kakashi.

“Tsunade-sama,” Rin started. She clenched her fists down by her sides. “I understand why you can’t heal Obito. But if you tell me what to do… I can do it.”

“Huh?” Obito’s head whipped around to stare at her.

Tsunade frowned. “It’s not something one medic can do alone. We’re not Hyuuga—we can’t see the individual pathways. You need at least one other person to keep the area constantly awash in healing energy while the other reconnects the pathways.”

Rin rested a hand on her chest. “Then let me repair the connections. My hands are steady. I won’t make a mistake.” She threw Obito a fierce look. “You trust me, don’t you?”

Obito was taken aback. “Of course I do.”

Tsunade made a skeptical sound. “Have you ever done chakra system manipulation or repair before?”

A pink tinge emerged high on Rin’s cheeks. “I’ve done it on models in training. And I know how to use a chakra scalpel.”

“Her work on physical injuries is always perfect. If she says she can do it, then it’s true,” Kakashi said firmly.

Obito nodded. “It would save us some time. Tsunade-sama? Can you help her do it?”

Tsunade pursed her lips. “If you make a mistake—”

“I know,” Rin said. “But it should be bloodless if I do it right, right?”

Tsunade looked around the little shack. She stopped at Obito once again. “This is hardly the place for a serious operation. And we would need a few more things.”

“I have tools,” Rin said. “If there’s anything else we need, couldn’t we get it in town?”

Tsunade gave an amused huff. “Minato never mentioned the three of you were little pains in the ass.”

They waited.

Tsunade paused for a long time. Then she said, “The continual influx of healing energy should prevent the worst. Even if it goes wrong, he won’t die. So, fine. I’ll help.”

Rin’s face softened from determination into a wide smile. “Thank you!”

“Thank you,” Obito echoed, giving a low bow.

“If it gets rid of you three fleas, it’ll be worth it.” Tsunade walked toward Rin with a gesture. “Let me see what you’ve got. We’ll need something to put him under, since we don’t have an extra person on hand to regulate his consciousness.”

“You’re the weak link this time, Kakashi,” Obito said with a smirk.

Kakashi gave him a _don’t push your luck_ look. “I’ll help however I can.”

Rin moved to the table to lay out her equipment. She and Tsunade started talking about the procedure.

“So,” Kakashi said. “You’re planning on going to the other side for help, after all?”

“I think so. It’s the best shot we have at finding the book.”

“If he’s never met you, how do you plan on convincing him to help?”

Obito looked down. He’d grown used to the necklace being there. Once they were away from Tsunade, he would keep it out until Naruto asked for it back. “I’ll just tell him the truth. He’ll help.”

Kakashi shrugged. “It’s weird, but I get the feeling you’re right about that.”

* * *

Obito lay on the table and tried not to let his nervousness show. They’d cleaned everything off thoroughly, and Rin had assured him there would be no physical cuts. Still, he’d have to go under to prevent his energy from fluctuating too much while Rin was trying to repair the connection to the tenketsu behind his eye.

Tsunade was standing beside the sink, back turned to them. She didn’t want to see Rin inject Obito with the anesthetic.

“Are you sure?” Rin asked him one last time, the needle poised over his arm. “This is risky, too. We can still go back home and wait for a spot at the hospital. They could give you an IV to make sure you don’t wake for a while.”

Obito took a deep breath and looked up. “I’m sure. Thank you.”

Rin smiled. The sight of it lifted his spirits, and he smiled back. But he didn’t feel the slight sting that used to come afterward, both before and after he found out about Tobi. It only felt nice. Comfortable. It felt okay.

“I’m glad you guys are here.” He turned his head to look at Kakashi, sitting on the opposite side. “I shouldn’t have left without you. I acted without thinking.”

“You already apologized once. Save it for after we have the book back,” Kakashi said.

“It’ll be a couple minutes. Try to relax,” Rin said.

Obito relaxed back and took slow, deep breaths. After a while, darkness settled on him quietly like a thick blanket.

* * *

Obito awoke with a heavy, cotton-ball feeling in his head. He sat up woozily.

He was tucked away beside the wall. Rin and Kakashi were at the table with takeout food containers scattered between them. Obito’s stomach growled.

“How are you feeling?” Rin got up and came over to him, bringing a glass of water.

Obito took a sip. “I’m not dead, so that’s a good start.”

Rin laughed. “I think it went well. Tsunade-sama did well, too. She left and brought us some food, saying you needed to keep up your strength. She’s gone again now. She also said you should use your Sharingan to make sure the pathways have reconnected properly. Just don’t over-do it.”

Obito exhaled and held up a half-ram sign. He focused on the feeling of how it used to be, to use his power without flinching.

There was some pain, but it wasn’t unbearable. Obito looked up and around the room. Trails of colors and movements hovered around Rin and Kakashi. He caught the hint of Rin’s grin before it happened.

“It’s back?”

“It’s back!” Rin placed her hands together happily.

Obito stood and walked to the mirror. His right eye stung, and a tear fell out when he blinked.

He put his hand through the mirror, felt the in-between space. He wanted to dive right into it.

He whirled around, smiling wider than he had in a while. “Let’s go!”

“Uh… you should probably have something to eat, first.” Rin gestured at the table.

Obito’s stomach growled again, louder this time. “Good point.”

He deactivated his Sharingan and walked over to the table. He looked around at everything on it. “When I’m not using it, everything still looks a little blurry on that side.”

“Yes.” Rin sat down too. “Tsunade-sama said it might not be perfect. The poison did cause some physical damage.”

Obito went quiet for a moment, pulling one of the foil containers over to himself. There was a variety of simple foods, as if from a bunch of different food stalls.

“I’ll get used to the way it looks. You did the best you could. I’ll never forget that.”

“So, what’s the plan from here?” Kakashi asked, raising a brow at him expectantly.

“Try going to the other side. I want us to look for the book together, but I think I should go into the other dimension alone.”

Kakashi frowned. “Why? You said you couldn’t explain before. Can you explain it now, before we get in to this? I’d like to know a little more about what we’re doing.”

“Right,” Rin agreed. “Shouldn’t we get our older selves as backup, too?”

Obito sighed. “I know it’s confusing, but… okay. There are _two_ other dimensions I’ve been to. One I need the book to get to, and the other I don’t. I should be able to reach that one now.”

The other two nodded. Obito continued.

“So. Not needing the book _sounds_ good, but that place knows dimensional travel exists. I’m not the only one who’s used it. There are rules about it there. I’ve only been there a few times, and I’ve never been allowed to do much of anything. As for Tobi, he doesn’t come from there. He comes from the book dimension. That’s the one I’m more familiar with.”

Kakashi crossed his arms. “ _How_ did you ask Tobi for help if he comes from the book dimension? You can’t go there. That’s the whole problem.”

This was an even deeper rabbit-hole Obito was not prepared to go into right now. He picked his words carefully. “Tobi was already in my kamui before I got hurt and lost the book. If he hadn’t been, I couldn’t have used him as a decoy. It was just a lucky break, depending on how you look at it, I guess.”

“I still think we should go with you to the other world,” Rin said. “What if something goes wrong?”

Obito stared down at the takeout container in front of him. “I’m sorry. It’s not a good idea.”

“Why?”

“The more people I take, the more of a strain it is. If it fails, you guys might end up stuck there, too. It’s better for you to wait in this world the first time I try this. Besides, Naruto is the Kyuubi jinchuuriki. Sealed beasts are a lot easier to deal with than unsealed ones, but it still takes more effort to transport them compared to other people.”

Kakashi’s brows nearly disappeared under his hitai-ate. “That seems like a pretty big detail to leave out until now.”

Obito shrugged. “There’s a lot to tell.”

“Then you had better tell it when this is all over.”

“…Yeah.”

“Will you be able to carry everyone when we find out where the book is?” Rin asked.

Obito popped the plastic lid off the yakisoba he’d grabbed. “Guess we’ll find out, won’t we?”

* * *

Obito, Rin, and Kakashi stood in a shady clearing a safe distance away from the town. Obito put his hand over the place where the necklace once again rested against his chest.

His pulse was quick with nerves. He knew he _should_ be able to get to the future dimension. It was irreversibly tied to his kamui. But if it failed, that wouldn’t be just a setback. It would be back to square one.

He wondered what the future version of Naruto was like.

After all, how different could things be? If he remembered correctly, that timeline was only four years ahead of the one Naruto and Tobi belonged to. If time flowed at the same rate there, what would that make him? Eighteen?

More importantly, that version probably only knew Obito as an enemy. The version of Tobi that instigated the Fourth War was several steps further into the darkness than even the one he knew.

Obito had met that version of himself face-to-face, very briefly. At that point, he’d been overtaken by Zetsu and consumed with the dual powers of Rinnegan and bijuu. It was mind-bending to think about.

That was how things were supposed to be. How _he_ would have been if Orochimaru hadn’t interfered.

“Well? Do you know how to find him?” Kakashi broke through his thoughts.

“Maybe.” Obito paused. “I don’t want to ask the Rokudaime. He’d probably say no. But I know Naruto’s favorite ramen shop. I’ll hover over it, and if he isn’t there, I’ll ask the man who runs the shop. Naruto talks about him like he’s family.”

“Just be careful, okay?” Rin said.

“Don’t leave us waiting,” Kakashi said.

Obito took a deep breath. There was nothing left but to try.

He stepped through dimensions. Kamui was a necessary waypoint, but he didn’t linger there long. Like a swimmer, he stayed just long enough to breathe out and in once more.

Then he dove forward into the future dimension.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: eye trauma, ill-advised medical procedure, medical inaccuracies
> 
>  _Chapter 16: foxfire_ will post this Friday or Saturday (the 15th or 16th).


	16. foxfire

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> posted 1/15/2021
> 
> subtle reminder that my future timeline here isn't exactly canon, partly because of the changes made to that timeline in previous stories, and partly because I know absolutely nothing about the sequel series.

The last time Obito visited the future, he’d gone directly to the safe house Kakashi put aside for the wayward jinchuuriki from Naruto’s time. It was located in a remote part of Fire, far from the other major countries. It was such a secret that only the Hokage himself knew about it. Even though Akatsuki no longer existed in this time, they didn’t want to take chances.

So the Rokudaime said. But more than that, he always seemed determined for Obito and the others not to enter the timeline. No doubt the uncontrolled experimentation Orochimaru did there had something to do with his attitude.

Aside from the jinchuuriki hideout, Obito was only supposed to jump directly the Hokage’s office, and that was only in case of emergency. He wanted to avoid that this time, so instead, he tried landing behind the spot where he knew the ramen shop to be.

 _Tried_ being the operative word.

He thought he had the location right. But his previously fine-tuned control slipped, and instead of hovering, he fell into the world right away.

Obito landed off-balance and stumbled into some trash bins. They crashed into each other and fell over.

Obito swore under his breath and quickly righted them, looking around furtively to see if anyone had noticed.

Luckily, there was no one immediately around him. He was in a narrow alley between two buildings of differing heights. A thin trickle of water ran from beneath the plank fence behind him to a drain close to the street.

Obito walked out of the alley, trying to make his gait natural. Without his gear or hitai-ate, he would look like a regular kid at a glance.

He walked around to the front of the shop, expecting to see Ichiraku’s with its open counter and stools lined up.

Instead, he saw a shop for housewares. The building on the other side of the alley was a small convenience store.

Obito looked up and down the street. This was Konoha, without a doubt. The building styles were familiar. In the distance, he could see the Monument. It looked crowded with all the new faces, including Kakashi’s.

Putting aside the nausea-inducing image, Obito looked at the line of shops more closely. At first, he thought maybe Ichiraku’s had moved, but—something was very off. The village felt the same, but it didn’t _look_ quite the same. Had they renovated this whole street?

“Are you okay, niichan?”

Obito looked down. A little girl was holding a ball and staring up at him.

“Um…” Obito bent slightly to talk to her, hoping his question wouldn’t seem too out of place. “Do you know where the ramen shop Ichiraku’s is now? Is it gone?”

“Nope! They built it down there.” The girl pointed right, down the street. “I could show you if you want!”

“Okay, thanks.”

The girl bounced the ball in front of her feet as she walked. Obito looked from one side of the street to the other, trying not to be too conspicuous about it. There was no doubt. This street, at least, was entirely unfamiliar.

“Kaa-chan says ramen’s not good for you,” the girl said in an matter-of-fact tone, bouncing the ball, then catching it. “ _We’re_ only allowed to go on the weekend.”

Obito laughed. “When you grow up, you can eat it as much as you want.”

“I. _Know_. Anyway, I don’t think that’s true. Naruto-nii eats there all the time,” she said, as if that settled the matter.

Obito faltered in his step. The girl didn’t notice, and he quickly unstuck himself to continue forward.

“Do you know Naruto?” he couldn’t help but ask.

“No.” She sound slightly disappointed. “Oh, he came to our class one time, though! He was really funny.”

Obito spotted what could only be the ramen shop up ahead. “That’s it. Thanks, but you should be getting back. Don’t want your kaa-chan to think you’re eating ramen on a weekday.”

The girl made a more scornful sound than he’d heard any Uchiha child make. She kicked the ball the other way and went running after it.

The front of the ramen stand was a little more enclosed than before, large windows in a wooden frame, with a sliding door that was currently open. Even though he’d already eaten, the smalls wafting out into the street were enticing.

“Welcome!” the proprietor called when Obito drifted in.

“Er—” Obito stopped in his tracks.

It wasn’t lunch time yet, and no one else was in the stall. Was it worth the risk to stay and wait, or should he ask the man about Naruto’s whereabouts? He bought himself some time by walking over to the menus taped to the wall and pretending to look over them.

Given that his other self had gone missing so long ago, Obito figured no one besides Kakashi would recognize him. There was a small chance someone else from his class could, but he still hadn’t felt the need to put on a disguise. Now that he was actually here, though, he felt exposed. The longer he stayed around, the more likely that the Rokudaime would catch wind of his presence.

“If you’re undecided, our house tonkatsu is very popular,” Teuchi said.

“Okay. I’ll try that.”

Now that he was committed to it, Obito sat down on the farthest side, where he would be less visible to the street.

Asking the old man was his best bet, but what if Naruto was off on a mission somewhere?

 _Calm down_ , he told himself. If Naruto was out of the village, someone would know where. The layout of this world hadn’t changed much since his time. He could try hovering again and go wherever Naruto was. Even if it meant resorting to kidnapping, all he needed was a chance to speak with him in kamui.

A few moments later, Teuchi put the bowl of ramen down in front of Obito.

“Thanks, jiichan.” Obito flashed a smile.

He wasn’t particularly hungry, but he was glad to have something to do while he figured out a way to ask the old man where Naruto lived.

Obito picked a pair of chopsticks from the cup on the counter and split them apart. He leaned over the bowl and picked up a big bunch of noodles to cool them. He tried taking a bite.

“Hey, Teuchi-occhan!”

Obito nearly inhaled the noodles in his mouth. He dropped his chopsticks and fought the urge to cough. He covered his mouth and chewed, turning his head to the side.

Naruto sat down a couple of stools away.

“Naruto!” Teuchi said heartily. “Will it be the usual?”

“Yeah, but with extra cutlets. I’m _starving._ Kakashi-sensei made us get up before the sun this morning.”

Teuchi laughed. “Coming right up.”

Obito picked his chopsticks back up and busied himself with another bunch of noodles. He surreptitiously observed Naruto.

The most noticeable difference was his height. The version Obito knew was shorter than him, but by eighteen, Naruto had gained enough height to sit on the stool with both feet on the floor.

His hair was cut shorter, and his face was more angular, but the clear blue eyes and whisker marks were the same as ever. Instead of his usual orange jacket, this version wore a black jacket with orange pants. Obito noticed one of his hands was wrapped entirely in bandages.

Naruto hummed happily under his breath, drumming fingers on the counter while waiting for his order. Then the drumming paused, and he tilted his head to the side subtly. Obito recognized the pose. He was listening to Kurama.

“Hm?” Naruto gave a puzzled frown. He leaned on his elbow and turned his head to look at Obito.

Obito clenched the chopsticks and turned his face away, feigning interest in the advertisement on the wall beside him.

 _Do something_. If Naruto or Kurama recognized him first, it would cause a commotion. But this wasn’t a good place to explain everything.

Alright. Kidnapping it was, then.

Obito’s heart lobbed when Naruto moved to sit beside him.

“Ne—” Naruto started.

“Ouch!” Obito hissed loudly. He knocked his ramen bowl off the counter and it cracked loudly on the polished concrete floor, spilling noodles and hot broth everywhere.

Naruto gave a startled yelp and looked at the bowl. Obito stood on the bottom rungs of the stool and grabbed the front of Naruto’s jacket with both hands. His Sharingan flared to life and he focused all his power on pulling them back into kamui.

Naruto only moved to look up in surprise before he was caught in the dimensional jutsu. His eyes widened in confused recognition. Teuchi shouted.

The space between dimensions wrinkled, and they fell through.

* * *

They landed in kamui ungracefully. Obito was so focused on getting them back there, he forgot to account for where.

They were near the base camp, but instead of being on the level area around it, they appeared on one of the rectangular columns that rose above it.

Obito was still holding on to Naruto’s jacket. Naruto scowled and looked back over his shoulder, teetering on the edge of the column.

But before Obito could correct his mistake, Naruto grabbed his arms and spun around, using the momentum to throw Obito down into the camp.

Obito hit the floor with a pained exhale and rolled on the smooth surface until his back hit the Mokuton box.

“What the hell is going on? Who are you? Apologize to Teuchi-occhan for ruining a good bowl of ramen!” Naruto jumped down from the column and looked around, taking in all the unusual features of the camp. He walked toward Obito, but stopped abruptly a few feet away.

Obito looked up, trying to catch his breath without moving too much.

Naruto stared. Then he said, “…Obito?”

Obito peeled himself off the floor and stood. “Sorry about that. Kakashi would skewer me if he found out I was in the village.”

“So… you _are_ Obito? But… you’re dead.” Naruto looked aghast. “Is that why you look so young? Are you a-a-aa—”

Obito paused in the middle of dusting himself off. Despite the ridiculous situation, he smiled a little. “You haven’t changed a lot, huh? I’m obviously _not_ dead. At least, not this version of me. Do you remember when Orochimaru used a space-time Summoning technique to bring a younger version of you to your time? He did it to me, too.”

“I remember. I heard he brought you and another Kabuto forward.” Naruto gave a confused frown. “So… you’re the Obito who was brought forward that time? But how did you—you came back to my world on your own?”

Obito looked around the camp. Then he walked to the front of the field tent and sat down on a crate. “Judging by your reaction, I’m guessing Kakashi never told you. I’ve been back to your world several times. When I unlocked my Sharingan in your dimension, I somehow got the ability to travel to dimensions other than my own. We were sent home, but I found your younger self, and Kabuto, too. The three of us—” He felt a pang in his chest. He curled his hand over the crystal pendant, which reminded him that he had it.

Obito took the necklace off and held out the stone in his hand. Naruto walked forward and picked it up, recognition written over his face.

“See? Your younger self let me hang on to this. I’m supposed to give it back, but there’s been a problem, and… I went to find you because I need help.”

Naruto smiled, but sadness lingered around his eyes. “It’s been ages since I’ve seen this. I don’t have it anymore. Kurama broke it when we were fighting Pein.” He winced. “I know, I know! We don’t need it anymore. But I could have given it back to Tsunade-baachan.”

“He said the same thing. That he didn’t need it anymore,” Obito said.

“Really?” Naruto’s voice sparked with interest. “How are they doing? They weren’t here long, but I miss that little guy sometimes. Wait—if you can go anywhere, couldn’t you bring _him_ back to my world, too?”

Obito took a shaky breath. He was forced to hold it for a moment as his throat closed up.

Not now. Now was not the time to get upset. There was still work to do.

“I can’t go anywhere. To go somewhere, I need a path to follow. Usually an object that ties directly to someone living in that world. That’s the problem I have right now.” Obito stared down at the floor. “We found the original Summoning contracts Orochimaru made for us. I was able to use that to jump to your younger self and Kabuto. But there was a battle recently in my world, and… I lost it. Now I can’t reach them. Actually, it’s worse than that. Kabuto’s real body died, so he’s still in a Zetsu body. If the contract is destroyed, he’ll leave that body and die.”

“You want me to help you find it,” Naruto said softly.

Obito stood. “I-I know it’s a lot to ask. There’s a lot more to the story, but that’s the basics of it. Rin and Kakashi are helping me, but I thought the search would go faster if we had your help. The book is tied to your younger self. You can find it, right?”

Naruto swiped under his nose with his thumb and grinned. “Hah! Sounds easy. That means we’re going to your world, right?”

“Yeah. Is it okay if we go now? I understand if you can’t, but… the sooner, the better.”

Naruto looked down at the necklace in his hand. “I’m sure people will be wondering where I am. But with your kamui, it won’t take long. Then, once this is all over, I’d like to see the younger me again sometime.” He held the necklace back out to Obito.

Obito once again felt a slight sting in his right eye. He draped the necklace back over his head and tucked it under his shirt.

“Alright,” he said. “Rin and Kakashi are waiting for us on the other side. Let’s get that book back.”

* * *

Obito and Naruto emerged into the shady alcove where Kakashi and Rin waited.

Rin and Kakashi stood from their resting spots. While the older Naruto looked around the clearing, the others were looking at him.

Finally Naruto noticed them. He laughed and strode up to Kakashi, who took an affronted step back.

“Wow, it’s a small Kakashi-sensei!” Naruto laughed again and patted him on the head.

Kakashi jumped back and drew his chakra blade in the span of a blink. “Just because we need your help, it doesn’t mean you can act so familiar.”

“He sounds like a kid!” Naruto said to Obito, who couldn’t suppress his own grin.

“Nice to meet you, other-Naruto,” Rin said. She put her hands together. “It really is an older version of him. Don’t you think he looks even more like Minato-sensei now?”

“No,” Kakashi and Obito said at the same time.

Kakashi glared. “Don’t copy me.”

“That’s my line.”

Naruto hit his hand to his fist in realization. “Oh yeah, I guess Kakashi-sensei can’t be the Copy-nin here, since he’s never had the Sharingan.”

A confused sort of pause followed.

“Can I talk to you for a second? Really quick?” Obito pulled on Naruto’s sleeve and walked a short distance away.

“Listen,” Obito said in a barely audible voice after turning his back toward the other two. Naruto leaned close enough to hear. Obito found a tree to focus on and stared at it instead of Naruto’s face next to his. “They don’t know about the stuff that happened in your timeline. Especially what happened with the other me. I don’t plan on hiding it forever, it’s just… look. The war just ended. Once Sensei becomes Hokage, things will be stable again. But for now, they don’t know.”

“Oh.” Naruto stood back up to full height. “Sorry. I forgot about that.”

Kakashi was still glaring suspiciously when they came back, but Obito decided to head him off.

“Okay. So we all know what the plan is, right? Naruto will search for the book. Once he knows where it is, I’ll take us there. We can end this by the end of today.”

“If Kiri has it, we’ll have to go in and grab it without being seen. We can’t start another conflict,” Kakashi said grumpily.

“Right. We’ll take every precaution needed.” Obito looked at Naruto.

“Okay.” Naruto walked to the center of the clearing and sat cross-legged on the ground. “So I’m looking for something that feels like the little me?”

“It’s connected to me and Kabuto, too. All three of us are in it.”

“Got it.” Naruto closed his eyes and sat straight-backed, one hand curled inside the other near his navel.

His face smoothed of all expression. Within seconds, invisible brushstrokes painted orange over his eyelids.

“What is that?” Rin asked Obito in a whisper.

“His Sage Mode,” Obito guessed. It didn’t look exactly the same as the Sage Mode he was more familiar with, the one younger Naruto used. But it had to be that.

Naruto opened his eyes. They were now golden, with horizontal flat pupils.

“Hm.” Naruto relaxed and leaned back on his hands. Even that small movement seemed strangely graceful under Sage Mode.

“What?” Kakashi asked. “Can you find it?”

“Oh.” Naruto sat up properly again with a laugh. “Right. I got a little distracted. This world is so different from mine! I’ll look for the book now.”

He closed his eyes again and concentrated.

The team stood in silence, waiting, exchanging tense glances.

Naruto’s brow furrowed. His eyes moved under his eyelids like he was dreaming.

When he looked up again, his expression was grim.

Obito felt a sharp sense of foreboding. His voice came out strained. “What’s wrong?”

“I recognize that energy. The book is with Madara.”

“Madara?” Kakashi said. “What does that mean?”

Naruto shifted his gaze to Obito, waiting for him to say something. He’d already taken to heart Obito’s request not to mention the circumstances of the Fourth War.

“Uchiha Madara,” Obito said quietly. “I should have known.”

In a way, he had known—at least the possibility. Tobi warned him multiple times.

“He’s alive,” Naruto pointed out. “I don’t know how, but he has the book. I’m sure of it.”

“One of the village founders?” Rin asked. “I thought he was killed by the Shodai.”

“Even if he wasn’t, he’d be dead by now,” Kakashi added.

Obito shook his head. A sort of numbness was creeping over him. He was trying to keep it down, trying not to panic. “No, he’s alive. I met him when I went looking for the book the first time. He knew I was looking for something—he must have figured it out. He’s keeping himself alive with a source of natural energy. He’s stuck in one place. But he has these plant clone helpers who can go out and be his eyes and ears in the world.”

“The Zetsu.” Naruto stood. “I don’t know everything about when Madara was still alive, but it doesn’t matter what kind of shape he’s in. He and the Zetsu are too dangerous.”

“Wait.” Obito jumped forward and grabbed Naruto’s sleeve. “We can work together to bring him down. There’s a limit to what Madara can do right now. I saw. He doesn’t have the Rinnegan, and he’ll die if he detaches from the tree. If he doesn’t know what the book is yet, he probably wants to lure me into talking to him again. I can distract him if you can grab the book.”

Naruto looked down at him, brow furrowed in concern. “But what if Madara _has_ figured that jutsu out? What if he uses it on himself?”

Obito let go of Naruto’s sleeve.

He hadn’t thought of that.

The whole time, he was worried about the truth of other dimensions getting out if Kiri examined the book long enough. He even thought some might try to use it. And though that was all very bad, there was a caveat. One needed a strong doujutsu to actually pull it off.

Obito hadn’t wanted the Time-Spanning Incarnation to get back to Konoha, either, but he’d forgotten that Madara _would_ be able to use it. He even had access to the ideal vessels.

The target had to be a living person. Madara was still alive.

He was weak.

He had the resources.

He had every reason to try it, even if it killed him in the process.

Obito’s hands started shaking. He forced more words to come out. “It might not be too late. If he knew how to use it, he wouldn’t need to lure me in. He’d Summon me using the contract.”

“Or maybe he wouldn’t. If he Summons himself, he won’t need your help anymore.”

“We have to try!” Obito raised his voice, ignoring the alarmed look Rin gave him. “You can take out the Zetsu using Kurama’s energy, right? If he hasn’t done anything yet, we can stop it. Besides, I can help! I don’t care what happens to me! We have to get it back!”

“Will one of you explain what’s going on?” Kakashi demanded.

There was a pause. Obito felt the lapse of time acutely. Every second spent debating what to do was another second Madara had his hands on the book.

Obito turned to Kakashi and Rin. “I told you guys. The book holds a type of dimensional jutsu we don’t want anyone to use. Madara is one of the few people who could actually use it. He is dangerous, but if we act quickly, I think we can take him down. We still have some element of surprise.”

“…I agree,” Rin said.

 _“What?”_ Kakashi said tensely.

“It’s the three of us and Naruto-san. All we have to do is get our hands on the book and leave. We have the chance to strike first. I think we should take it.”

Obito suddenly felt unsure. He didn’t want to put the others in danger. He looked back to Naruto. “Can you… you’ve faced him before. Do you think we can do this?”

“When all of us faced him, the situation was completely different.” Naruto closed his eyes again. Was he thinking about the answer, or was he focusing his senses on Madara?

“If the book is that valuable, I don’t think someone like Madara would destroy it outright,” Kakashi said. “From what you’re saying, the real danger is him figuring out how to use it. How bad would it be? That’s what I want to know. That’s how we should decide whether to go now. If waiting would be worse.”

“Little-Kakashi-sensei is right,” Naruto said.

“Please don’t call me that.”

“I dunno.” Naruto glanced at Obito. “In my time, Madara found a way to bring himself back to life. But I don’t know if this is anything like that. Obito, do you know?”

“If he summons his younger self, it’ll be like getting his youth back. There might even be a way for him to take over his younger self. Orochimaru did that after he left your time. He’d be at full power again! So we need to—”

“Wait!” Naruto made a ‘time out’ motion. “Orochimaru _left_ my world? How? I thought he just disappeared!”

“That doesn’t matter right now!” Obito scrubbed his hands through his hair in frustration. “What I’m trying to say is, it’s bad. We can’t let him have it, and we _definitely_ can’t let him use it! I have to go. I’m sorry. I can’t stand around and argue about it.”

Rin narrowed her eyes. “You’re not leaving without us.”

“Technically, he could.” Kakashi looked equally displeased.

“Not a chance.” Naruto leaned to cuff Obito lightly on the shoulder. “The Obito I know wouldn’t leave his friends behind. He just doesn’t want anyone to get hurt.”

“What are you talking about?” Obito asked with difficulty.

Naruto bent slightly, closer to Obito’s height. He pointed at his own face. “I had a chance to talk to him once, your older self. The real him. I don’t know if you know anything about him, but I do. You want to make sure these guys stay safe, right? That’s why I’m here. I won’t let anything happen to them. Or you.” He gave a reassuring smile. It was like being blinded by the sun.

Obito felt his face flush. He pressed a sleeve over his eyes, both to hide the redness on his cheeks and the hint of stinging tears.

“Alright,” he heard Kakashi say. “I’m counting on you to be as reliable as Minato-sensei. We’ll fight if we have to. But our first priority should be getting the book. Everybody agreed?”

“Yes,” Rin said. “We know how important it is now. But we should take it and leave as soon as possible.”

Naruto made a sound of agreement. “Okay. Obito, the moment we have it, be ready to transport us away. I’ll make sure the Zetsu can’t do anything, either.”

Obito took a deep breath and squared his shoulders. He was dry-eyed when he looked up at them.

“Everyone hold on to me.” Obito held out his arms.

“Can you jump with all of us?” Kakashi still looked skeptical.

“Watch me.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't waste food, kids.
> 
>  _Ch 17: descendant rising_ will post Wednesday, 1/20. That's my literal birthday whaaaaa ~~hey I need at least one thing to look forward to and take my mind off the looming weight of anxiety~~ so why not celebrate with some, uh,,, light family fun? sure. let's go with that.


	17. descendant rising

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> posted 1/20/2021
> 
> Some warnings apply. See end note for (extra spoilery) details.

Obito brought them directly into Madara’s hideout.

He didn’t land outside, didn’t wait to scope out the area. He wanted Madara to be surprised. He didn’t want to give him time to try anything.

For once, Obito’s impatience seemed to pay off. When they slid through the wall into the cavern, both of the Zetsu were there. They whirled around to stare at the intruders, caught off guard.

Madara was sitting on top of a gnarled root at the base of the tree. He didn’t start or call out when they appeared, but his one visible eye widened.

Naruto stepped in front of Obito, Kakashi, and Rin. He clapped his hands together, and his body lit up with brilliant golden light. It covered him from head to toe, flame-like tendrils of energy radiating off his form.

He walked a little closer to Madara and held his arms up, taking on a defensive stance. “Give us the book. We know you have it.”

Madara’s narrow-eyed stare took in Naruto and the golden aura he emitted. He glanced beyond Naruto to Obito and the others.

He was surprised. Obito could tell. Feeling emboldened, Obito walked forward, standing only slightly behind Naruto. He activated his Sharingan.

The swirly Zetsu pointed at Naruto. “Eh, boss? That thing—”

“I told you I’d help you find the book,” Madara said to Obito. “But I didn’t expect you to come back here with friends. Especially not a jinchuuriki fully in control of their powers.” Madara studied Naruto again. “Strange. I should have known about you. I’d say that makes no sense, but I have started to understand what the book means. That other dimensions are real, and can be unlocked with the right power. You’ve gone much farther than I expected, if you can bring people like this here.”

Madara reached into his gi and pulled out the Book of Seals. Obito’s stomach twisted when he recognized the bloodstained cover. He took a step forward, but Naruto held an arm out in front of him.

“Wait.”

“I can see the situation isn’t quite what I thought it was,” Madara said. “I am very interested in this work, though. It says a living vessel is needed to complete the Summoning, but what sorts of vessels are acceptable? Do you know?”

Madara swept one thin hand toward the Zetsu on his left side, the one who had a more human-like face.

Naruto inhaled sharply and crossed his arms together in front of himself. Then he uncrossed them in a large motion and the aura surrounding him shot out into ethereal claws from either hand.

The claws slammed into each of the Zetsu before either had a chance to react. He shoved them into the walls on either side with a great crash, and they writhed and cried out as their bodies started to transform.

Madara turned his head quickly to look between the two growing Zetsu as their bodies elongated and become more and more tree-like. There was a loud crack as they sprouted roots into the stone of the cave, breaking it apart in places. The trees rapidly grew long branches and sprouted small, pin-like leaves. Naruto’s claws retracted only after they were completely transformed.

The whole thing took less than thirty seconds.

“I won’t give you a chance,” Naruto said quietly.

Madara’s face looked like it had hardened into stone.

“You’re outnumbered. Give up,” Kakashi said.

Obito took another step to stand even with Naruto. “You have no power as you are now. You have nothing to summon with. Drop the book now, and don’t make any wrong moves.”

Madara’s Sharingan took on a hateful glint. He gripped the hand-bound spine of the book—and threw it off to the side, sending it hurtling toward the far wall.

Obito stepped through space to meet it. The tips of his outstretched fingers just brushed the flying book—

And it bloomed into a ball of black flame.

_“No!”_

The book was in Obito’s hands.

The black fire bit his skin and caught on his sleeves. Tears clouded his vision, but he could still see the swirling colors pressed within the book. The contracts.

Fire devoured the paper like an angry, hungry beast.

His hands tightened around the book and it crumbled into ash and fell through his fingers.

As he watched it break apart into nothing—

—he saw all the precious things it held disappear forever.

Pain unlike anything Obito ever felt exploded behind his eyes.

It brought him down to his hands and knees. He dimly realized that Madara had stopped the fire. He curled his burned hands over his face and bent forward. Blood and tears streamed from his stinging eyes. He screamed into the ground.

“Obito!” Rin’s voice pinched with worry.

“Get back!” Naruto shouted.

The pain was so acute that Obito barely heard anyone else. Rage and power filled his veins, rushing in to take the place of fear and grief. It felt hollow, like the black flame had gotten inside him and burned his heart out.

A skeletal being glimmered into existence around him. It hovered protectively around his body and solidified into a ghoulish form. Obito raised his head. Madara had a grim, self-satisfied smile.

Obito grit his teeth hard. Susano’o lashed out with a skeletal hand and slammed Madara into the cave wall. He distantly heard Madara laughing. Obito could feel his ancient bones snap under the weight of the Susano’o. Its other hand wrapped around the bundle of stems extending from Madara’s body.

Before he could rip them out, the world shifted in the span of a blink.

Obito stumbled, disoriented. He was no longer kneeling on the floor. Naruto was standing in front of him. Obito glanced down at his unblemished hands.

Madara was sitting on the root in front of them. His visible eye faded to white and closed.

He brought pushed his long hair over to the other side, covering the dead eye. He smirked and held up the book. It was exactly as it was before, unharmed.

Obito thought he might vomit. He lunged at Madara, but Naruto pushed him back.

“Obito! Stop! We’re only here for one thing. Remember?”

Kakashi and Rin each held on to one of his arms. Obito knew he could walk through them all and go after Madara again. But he hesitated.

“We can handle this.” Naruto put his hands on Obito’s shoulders. “He can’t do anything now. Without his lackeys, he can’t even connect with the outside world.”

“You always do that.” Obito hated how thin and wavering his voice sounded. “But you don’t understand anything. Sometimes it’s better to get rid of people like this right away. They won’t have the chance to come back later and ruin it all. You weren’t there. We let Orochimaru go, and he almost destroyed everything.”

Obito nearly jumped back in surprise when Naruto embraced him. The golden flame-like aura surrounding him didn’t burn. It felt like a warm breeze.

“I’m sorry,” Naruto said. “I just thought you’d been through enough already.”

The golden energy reminded Obito of the other Naruto’s hands folded over his when they used the Incarnation, a solid weight holding him steady against despair.

Naruto backed up to arm’s length. “Just because something bad happens to you, it doesn’t mean you have to bear the responsibility of it alone. You don’t have to punish yourself.”

“It seems we’re at an impasse,” Madara said.

“No, we’re not.” There was steel in Kakashi’s voice. He let go of Obito.

Obito dared to side-step Naruto, but no one stopped him this time. “Just try to do something else. You only have one eye left.”

“True,” Madara conceded. “I gave away my best pair. And I’m too feeble in my current state to fight two monsters at once.”

Naruto turned to him and held his hand out into a fist, golden and marked with thick black lines. “Then you agree there’s no point fighting.”

“Yes. I’d rather not fight.” Madara ignored Naruto to speak to Obito once more. “You have exceeded everything I thought you were. Rather than fighting, we _should_ be on the same side. I will return the book to you. But I hope you will decide to come here again.”

Disgust rose up within Obito like bile. But for the first time ever, it was on behalf of his other self. In a different situation, he too might have been trapped in this dismal hole, chained to Madara.

“Just hand the book over.” Naruto stepped forward and reached out. Madara rose and jumped back from him in a surprisingly fluid motion.

The vines and roots where Madara’s feet landed started moving seemingly of their own accord. They rose up and around Madara as he backed away closer to the tree. More and more came up, hovering around him like a living shield.

Then a vine shot out from the growing mass and wrapped around Naruto.

“Naruto!”

He snarled and quickly ripped through the vines with sharp chakra claws. The severed pieces fell to the ground and continued to grow and take root.

If this kept up much longer, there would be a small forest sprouting inside the cave.

“Madara—!” Obito started to move, but Kakashi pulled him around.

“Naruto can take care of himself. We should go after the book while Madara is busy. We’ll help Naruto distract him, and you can get close with your kamui.”

Rin nodded. Her eyes were bright and her mouth was pressed into a determined line. “We stick to the original plan. Grab the book and get out.”

Obito let out a shaky breath. “Okay.”

He looked down at his unblemished hands one last time. The pain was just a memory. He tried to feel it again, tried to touch the power that had filled him just a moment ago.

Kakashi put a hand on his arm. “Worry about that later. We need to move. On my lead.”

“Right,” Rin said. She moved to Kakashi’s other side. Obito gave a short nod.

“Now!”

The three of them ran toward Madara in formation, with Kakashi in the middle and slightly ahead. Vines lunged at them. Rin and Kakashi dodged, but Obito let them pass through his body.

Something loomed high above them, and they looked up at the same time. Even the branches radiating out from the tree were starting to shift. Small pieces of the stone ceiling crumbled and fell. Then vines shot down from the branches toward them.

Obito kept running and passed through these as well, determined not to be slowed down. Madara was standing right in front of the tree. Naruto was on his other side, slashing his way through anything that got thrown his way. But every move he made created more foliage. He jumped back, and Obito saw a whirl of compressed energy start to form in his outstretched hand.

“Ah!” Obito quickly looked back when he heard Kakashi grunt. One of the vines had wrapped around his waist. Kakashi drew his sword and stabbed it, but three more came up to wrap around him tightly.

“Hold on!” Obito turned to dash toward him, but something grabbed his ankle and he stumbled. Vines overtook him quick as a blink and wrapped all the way up to his chest, then his neck. He fell and hit the ground.

Swearing loudly, Obito made to phase through. But he couldn’t.

Obito glanced over to Naruto once again. Either the vines didn’t affect him, or they weren’t able to catch him. He was still keeping Madara busy by ripping through countless roots and vines.

Kakashi finished hacking his way through and ran to cut Obito free. “Keep moving! Don’t let your arms get caught! And use a blade. I don’t know what these things are made of, but it feels like they disrupt your chakra when they wrap around you.”

Rin ran past them. She jumped into the air, one kunai in each hand. A vine shot out at her and she sliced it clean through, but two, three, then five more shot out and snatched her out of the air.

“Rin!” Kakashi and Obito both called out.

Kakashi had cut enough away that Obito’s arms were free. Obito grabbed a knife from his back pouch and cut the vines around his abdomen.

Suddenly the ground slipped underneath him. Obito fell back and the living ropes regrew and wound around his chest again, tighter this time. He felt a hard pull, and suddenly he was sliding feet-first along the ground. He was being dragged.

Obito swore and desperately craned his head to look back. Upside-down, he saw Kakashi get bombarded with another wave. His chakra blade exploded with lightning energy.

The dragging came abruptly to a stop. Obito tried to roll himself over, but only managed to flop onto his stomach with his face pressed against the dirt. He blinked and tried to sit up, but the vines wouldn’t bend.

The book was laying open on the ground right in front of him. It was open to one of the seals. But the seal wasn’t glowing.

Terror sliced through him. Even with the book restored, had its connections been lost?

“Obito,” he heard Rin say with difficulty.

Obito looked up the best he could. Rin was a couple meters away on the ground, wrapped up the way he was, but otherwise seemed unhurt.

Obito started when Madara approached out of nowhere, looming over him. He glared upward and tried to struggle, but hissed loudly with pain when thorns suddenly sprouted from the vines.

“Ouch-! _What the hell?_ ” The thorns digging in made his muscles feel weak. He couldn’t struggle too much without them sinking in further.

“I ask again,” Madara said. He moved in a way no old man should be able to, crouching beside Obito with liquid grace. “Will any living vessel work for this jutsu? I made plans to be revived with Rinne Tensei after my death, but here I’ve found a way to oversee my own resurrection right now. I did consider the Zetsu. But to be honest, that was a last resort. I thought someone of my bloodline would be far preferable.”

Fear sunk further into Obito like a deep cold.

A harsh shriek of lightning preceded Kakashi’s arrival. He darted toward Madara.

Kakashi’s hitai-ate burst into black flames. He winced and pulled it off, but a bundle of vines rose to overwhelm him while he was distracted. They wrapped tightly around his neck, making him choke.

“ _Madara!_ ” Obito heard Naruto’s voice rise harshly over the clamor of the fight. Barely within his range of vision, Obito saw three golden forms dash around the cave, jumping and weaving through vines, coming toward them.

Obito reached for his power once again, but the vines were still sapping his energy. The places where thorns pierced his skin stung. Obito nudged his face on the ground, trying to wiggle and crawl toward the book with his limbs tightly bound. He couldn’t see where Madara had gone, but he could hear Naruto’s continued shouts, multiplied across several bunshin.

“Kakashi!” Rin called out.

What was happening with Kakashi? Obito couldn’t see. He’d moved enough to be face to face with the book.

Then the black ink on the page started to glow brilliantly. Obito went still. He couldn’t raise his head. The glow became painfully bright, but he didn’t close his eyes. It spread out from the page and underneath him. His thoughts grew more disorganized. Different streams of energy surrounded him, went through him.

He’d experienced something like this before. It was the Time-Spanning Incarnation.

It took a lot of concentration just to tear his gaze away from the center of light. He looked up and dimly saw Madara’s form over him. Obito opened his mouth, trying to say something. His throat felt very dry.

Madara seemed able to tap into an infinite source of energy. Obito watched the glow on the page grow steadily brighter. The more it did, the less he could feel his own body. The heaviness of it lost meaning. Even the pain felt dull and far away.

The vines unraveled and released him. Obito tried to roll away from Madara, but he still couldn’t move.

A sharp gust of wind moved overhead, and Madara jumped back. The great swirling mass of Wind energy exploded where Madara had been a moment ago. It was large enough to slice across the entire cavern from end to end. Severed vines fell and were replaced with more.

“Obito!” One Naruto’s bunshin turned him over. “Are you okay?”

“…them,” he whispered. The word found its way out of him somehow.

Naruto spotted Rin and moved away. Obito held his hand up in front of him. But he wasn’t the one who had done it.

“What is this?” he said aloud. But he hadn’t meant to say that, either.

Obito placed the hand over his chest. Confusion and fear swirled within him in equal measure.

“There is another awareness within me. How? This was not the plan.” Obito sat up and looked around. He made to stand, then sat back, hard.

“ _Leave,_ ” he growled with great effort.

“Obito.” Naruto was beside him again. Rin was leaning on him, her arm slung across his shoulders. “Come on, while the real me is keeping Madara busy. Grab the book, and let’s get out of here.”

The bunshin went up in a plume of black flame. Rin let out a startled cry and fell back before the fire could touch her.

Obito put a hand over his chest again. He pulled the necklace out from under his collar. “No wonder I can’t get a good hold over this form. Hashirama’s crystal—why do you have this, boy?”

Obito clamped his hand down over the pendant. He mustered up every bit of will to keep his hand still, to keep the necklace from being ripped off.

“There will be time for understanding later.”

The voice came from outside him this time. Obito looked over and saw an old man—saw Madara standing over the book once again.

“S-Stay back!” Rin said. But she looked pale and heavy, laying propped up on her elbows. Obito saw her glance between him and Madara. She was wondering why he wouldn’t move.

“There has been a change of plans,” the elder Madara said. “But only slightly. You are free to carry them out now.”

Madara came toward him, hand outstretched.

The Madara within him understood. Something about the plan had changed. But soon, all would be explained.

He sat back on his heels and waited. Madara reached out, ready to impart his will. His Sharingan gleamed.

His hand stopped just short of Obito’s face.

Rin cried out. At first, Obito thought Madara had paused because of her. But then he saw it, too.

Tobi stood behind Madara, expression grim. He dropped the armful of vines he had just sliced through.

Madara gave a visible shudder. Then he slumped over to the side, onto his knees, and then to the ground.

Obito’s eyes narrowed as Tobi picked up the open book.

“Too bad,” Tobi said. “When you end up in a cave like this someday, remember this moment. Uchiha Obito is useless. You’re better off throwing him out and finding another way.”

Tobi tore Madara’s page out of the book. He crumpled it between his hands and ignited it in a plume of orange fire, a brief flash before it disintegrated completely.

All strength left Obito. He slumped back to the ground like a marionette with its strings cut.

Tobi knelt, tucked the book into Obito’s jacket, then scooped him up under his knees and shoulders.

Obito felt exhausted, empty. He had to force his eyes open so he could figure out what in the world was going on.

Naruto was there, but only the original and one bunshin remained. One was helping Rin sit up. The other sat next to a prone Kakashi, hands over him as if to heal. Was that something the older version knew how to do?

“Minato should be here soon,” Tobi said. “I told you not to go after Madara.”

“Sorry.” Obito felt so dried out and weak he could only whisper. He wanted to ask why Tobi was there, and other things too complicated to put into words. But it took all his concentration just to stay awake.

Tobi seemed to understand his expression. “Rest while you can. We aren’t out of trouble yet.”

Obito closed his eyes. He still felt confused. His hold on consciousness was slippery. He let go of it.

* * *

Tobi took his first proper look around the cavern. The underground space had become a miniature forest.

Maybe he should have felt some sense of relief or victory about Madara’s demise. But for him, the real struggle had not yet started.

He saw Kakashi laying under the glow of Naruto’s hands—but it didn’t look like normal healing energy.

Tobi remembered something he’d overheard the younger Naruto say. _‘The older me can transfer his energy to others, and I can too’._ He was trying to restore Kakashi’s dangerously low chakra.

Naruto’s bunshin walked slowly toward the original with Rin’s arm draped over his shoulders, legs bent to her height. Like the rest of the team, she’d been almost entirely wiped out by the energy-sapping vines. She was conscious, but could barely stand.

“Are you okay?” the bunshin asked Rin as they got closer. “Hold on, and we’ll get you back to normal.”

“What—happened?”

“Madara Summoned his younger self,” Tobi said. “But I stopped them both.”

Rin and the bunshin made it over to the original Naruto. Rin let herself be lowered to the ground beside Kakashi, but she stayed sitting up. She bit her lower lip with worry.

The glow subsided and Naruto withdrew his hands. “He should wake up soon. That was a close one. He pushed himself too hard trying to save himself and everyone else.”

Kakashi was unconscious, but his external injuries were few. His chakra blade lay sheathed beside him.

“What did you do?” Rin asked dazedly.

Tobi silently carried his younger self toward them. He looked down at the kid’s face. He was pale, with traces of dried blood trails underneath his eyes.

Naruto held his hands out toward Rin, golden palms facing upward. “I can restore the energy you lost. I have plenty to spare.”

Rin glanced up as Tobi joined them. “Obito should go before me. I’m not as bad off.”

Naruto looked up at Tobi and gave a puzzled frown. “…Two Obitos? I felt it when Madara—what’s going on? Where the hell— _when_ d’you come from, anyway?”

“Not your world, if that’s what you’re asking. I’m from the same dimension as your younger self. Does it matter?”

“That’s unbelievable.” Naruto laughed and got to his feet. “Thanks for helping us out. I’ll fix up the little you in no time. Bunshin-me, you take care of Rin.”

“Osu!”

Tobi was slightly wary of Naruto’s carefree reaction to him—but then, he’d hardly ever made a lot of sense. Another version of him was no different.

Naruto moved to take Obito out of his arms, but Tobi took a step back, tightening his grip. “I’ll hold on to him. You heal.”

“Er, okay.”

Tobi let Naruto approach. He put his hands on Obito’s chest and concentrated. Standing near it, Tobi could feel the incredible amount of energy radiating from him. Even after fighting Madara and restoring Kakashi, he seemed nowhere close to winded.

The stark pallor to Obito’s skin warmed to something healthier. His eyes moved behind his eyelids. But he didn’t wake right away.

“Your arm,” Tobi noted as Naruto pulled back, the transfer complete. “How can you use the Kyuubi’s chakra without activating the plant cells?”

“Huh?” Naruto looked at his bandaged hand. “Oh. I didn’t, for a little while. After I saw what happened to the little me that time, I was afraid to even try. But before long, it became part of me for real. Baa-chan says it’s more me than not-me, if that makes any sense. See? You’re okay, too.” Naruto tapped on his right arm.

Tobi jerked backward, but Naruto was right. The energy didn’t sting, and his form didn’t change.

Naruto held up his hands. “Hey, it’s okay. The younger you is going to be alright.”

“Madara used him for the Incarnation. I destroyed the Summoning seal, but…”

Naruto’s brow crinkled and he stared at Obito, concentrating. “…He’s fine. I don’t sense Madara anywhere within him.”

Tobi took a few more steps backward. “Listen. Your father will be here any moment. Do you think you can distract him?"

“Huh?”

There was a subtle, familiar shift in space. Tobi stepped nimbly away with barely enough time to spare as Minato appeared under his guard, dagger in hand and eyes glinting like steel.

“Tou-chan!” Naruto called out in surprise.

Minato halted in the midst of using his momentum to shift into another attack. He turned to Naruto, confusion sketched across his features. “N- _Naruto?_ ”

Naruto extinguished the golden aura around him, returning to normal. He grinned. “Yeah! You must know the younger me. I’m glad. Obito brought me to try to—” His smile faded. “Wait… what? You… how do you have…”

While they were distracted, Tobi stepped slowly backward, toward the gap in the cave roof where stone met the tree imperfectly. He’d snuck in through there.

But Minato noticed him. “Stop!”

“Tou-chan—” Naruto started.

“Tell me what’s going on,” Minato demanded.

“I thought a genius like you would have figured it out by now.” Tobi kept creeping backward toward the tree. “Uchiha Madara killed your ANBU and stole the book to restore his youth. I convinced Obito to set me free. He and the rest of your brats led me directly to Madara. I killed him.”

Minato looked grim. He took a step forward.

“Don’t move.” Tobi rested his hand on top of Obito’s closed eyes. “Not another step, or I’ll take his eyes out right here and now.”

Minato froze. He did not have a visible bijuu aura like Naruto did, but the currents of air within the cave seemed to shift, like the uneasy atmosphere prior to a storm.

Naruto moved beside Minato. “Oi! What do you think you’re doing?”

“I wanted to ensure Madara’s destruction. But I also don’t plan on spending the rest of my life in a cell.”

Minato pinned him with a cold glare. “If you do _anything_ to him, you’ll face much worse than imprisonment. Give up now, and we’ll hand you over to the Rokudaime. It’s what we should have done to begin with.”

“I don’t think so.” Tobi moved his hand away from Obito’s face for long enough to reach into his pocket. He was halfway through pulling out a kunai when Minato made his move.

As expected. Tobi threw the knife away from himself right before Minato jumped. It struck the ceiling and the paper bomb tied to it exploded. Tobi jumped backward and ran up the tree, sprinting toward his exit.

“Tou-chan, wait!” he heard Naruto call out over the crash of falling rocks. Tobi smiled grimly. Maybe Naruto’s interference would slow Minato just enough.

Tobi jumped up through the gap and into the forest. He hit the ground and kept running, pace unrelenting.

Obito was jostled by all the jumping and running. His eyes opened a little. He still seemed groggy. “What’s going on?”

“Finally. I could really use your help about now,” Tobi said between quick breaths. “Sensei won’t stay behind long. He’s out for my blood. I need you to use kamui to stop him from killing me before I’ve had a chance to speak.”

“ _What?_ ” Obito seemed to wake a little more. “What’s going on? What’re you trying to do?”

Tobi gave a grim smile. “You won’t like it. But can I count on you?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: canon-typical detailed violence, burns, character deaths, loss of control
> 
>  _Ch 18: even a knife has two sides_ will post when I'm finished with it. When I wrote the first draft of this fic, I didn't do 18 and 19 because my ideas for the ending were in flux. I do have outlines for them, but realistically, it'll take slightly longer than usual since I have to write them from scratch. They will be the final two, with 20 as an eventual epilogue when/if I figure out what the next thing will be.
> 
> Until next time!


	18. even a knife has two sides

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> posted 1/30/2021

Tobi kept running.

But he knew it was only a matter of time. He couldn’t outrun Minato while carrying someone else.

“We don’t have much of a head start,” Tobi said dryly. He could tell his younger self was still dazed. “You can use it, can’t you? Will you help me or not?”

Obito looked around as much as he could. They were in a dense part of the forest, trees whizzing by as Tobi ran along the ground. “I don’t even know how you guys got here! How did Minato-sensei find out? What did you do?”

“I told him. I realized Madara must be in possession of the book, so I came here as quickly as I could. I left sensei a wide trail to follow. But I didn’t know _you_ were going to jump in first! All of you could have been killed!”

Obito looked aghast. Tobi tried to reign in his temper. Provoking guilt wouldn’t help win his other self’s cooperation, and right now, that was critical.

“I planned on having him see for himself. I thought he wouldn’t believe me otherwise,” Tobi explained as quickly as he could. “I removed my mark to ensure he wouldn’t catch up instantly. But when I saw what was happening, I took one of his daggers from a storage scroll and threw it down. Does that answer your question?”

“What’re you trying to do now—?”

Tobi stopped abruptly when one of those daggers hit the ground in front of him, sinking into the grass. He pivoted on one foot to dodge around the nearest tree. The blade in Minato’s hand glanced off it, slicing through the bark and slightly disrupting the weapon’s arc. Tobi let out a hiss of pain when the steel bit into the human side of his neck. He spun around to a larger tree nearby and pressed his back to it.

He felt blood trickle down into his collar. He’d avoided the worst of it by dodging. The stolen flak vest hadn’t been of much help.

Tobi looked around the shady forest, tense. It would take much more than a scratch to kill him, but Minato seemed to think a one-hit kill was worth trying.

“Generous of you, giving me time to react,” Tobi said. “I suppose like the Sandaime, there are some faces you can’t bear to turn your blade against.”

There was a sharp thud of metal against wood. Tobi looked down at the dagger embedded in his chest.

Only it wasn’t really.

Obito held on to the front of his cloak with both hands. He glared up at Tobi with his Sharingan activated.

Tobi stepped backward through the tree and out the other side, leaving the dagger behind.

Minato appeared in front of him, but this time he didn’t attack. He had one dagger in each hand and and stood ready, poised and tense, but his hesitation was unmistakable.

Tobi could see it in his eyes. Minato was deeply afraid.

“This situation does bring back memories,” Tobi said. “Rethink the choice to attack first and ask questions later. Can we talk? I have a proposition you might be interested in.”

“Let him go.” Minato shifted his stance, adjusting the grip on his knives. He glanced at Obito then back up at Tobi again.

“I’d rather not. I have no intention of harming Obito, but I do want a chance to speak. Here, I will set him down. Can you stand?” he asked Obito.

“I… I think so,” he said warily.

Tobi lowered Obito until his feet were on the ground. They both stood. Obito, to his credit, continued holding on to Tobi’s arm. But it was clearly meant to hold himself steady as much as it was to prevent them from fighting.

Keeping his grip locked, Obito turned to Minato. “I don’t know exactly what’s going on here, but it’s partly my fault. I set Tobi free so I could look for the book. I went with Rin and Kakashi to find a way to get it back. I have _no_ idea what Tobi is trying to pull, but he didn’t kidnap me. He saved my life, so… I don’t want you to kill him.”

“I woke up to a report about him,” Minato said quietly. “He infiltrated the ANBU. When I looked for you at home, you weren’t there. I didn’t know how he managed to get out into the world, or what had happened to you.”

Obito’s grip tightened. He looked down at the ground, throat working. “I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be too harsh with him,” Tobi put in. “I may not have forced my way out, but I did use my familiarity with him for personal gain. Just as I used you and the ANBU. But not everything was in my best interest. I could have easily taken Obito’s eyes for myself many times. I could have let Madara be reborn within him.”

Obito glared back at him, irritation covering up his guilt. “Thanks for nothing. _Why_ did you do all that? If you wanted to escape, you could have done that ages ago, the first time I left. You had no reason to save me. You called me a replacement.”

“I changed my mind. Does that concept terrify you?”

“It’s not _believable_. You expect us to believe you’re a good guy now? Just like that?”

“No.” Tobi looked back up at Minato. He was still on guard, but he was listening. “No. But lately, I’ve learned to see Madara more clearly. It doesn’t mean my view of the world has become brighter. It only means I don’t know the right answer anymore. I did this to put an end to Madara. If there’s any reason, it would be… I don’t want your life as it is now to end. I don’t know why.”

“So why shouldn’t we hand you over to the Rokudaime? You haven’t said anything to convince me,” Minato said.

Tobi gestured with his other arm. “Madara was just as wily as Orochimaru, and twice as focused. You don’t know how far his influence goes. And there are plenty more currents to this world you can’t see from atop your pedestal. Isn’t that why you decided to form a new team, to use the knowledge of other dimensions rather than ignoring it? I have a deep understanding of this world, of Konoha, and the Uchiha. I know things that would be impossible for you to learn on your own. Will you let your emotions keep you from that sort of resource?”

“Maybe that means we should imprison you ourselves and take the information. I can’t possibly entrust you to something like that.”

“I’ve already presented myself to the ANBU as head of the team. If you don’t trust me with genuine leadership, I could be the figurehead. Anyone wanting to learn about the group would focus on me. If you’re worried about betrayal, you could put your mark on me again. I could always burn it off, but then you would know right away if I had treacherous intentions.”

A stretch of silence followed. Minato slowly lowered his stance. Obito looked between him and Tobi.

Minato spoke softly, but his voice carried. “These past few months have been the best and worst I've ever had. The two versions of Isobu have become one being, but its rage made it hard to separate my desire to end the war from its desire to destroy Kiri entirely. It still won't speak to me in words, but memories from both its lives come to me sometimes. It remembers you. It knows what you really are.”

“…I see.”

"Once I understood, I was glad the Godaime had put you into a cage. But I was also concerned. I did not want you to be near Obito. He's been weighed down by your existence in a way I don't know how to help. He's had to endure more than I ever wanted any student of mine to bear."

Tobi was all too aware of the tree at his back, and Minato’s wide range in front of him. "I can't deny what I did, but Madara still had a hold over me back then. That is why I became so determined to end him this time. The world is better off now, and I want to protect it. Once you take on all your Hokage duties, there will be some things you can’t do, some places you can’t go. Surely you see the advantage of having someone like me? I can also deal with the Uchiha, if you allow me to take Madara’s other eye.”

“ _What?_ ” Obito gaped at him. “You really think you can ask for something like—”

“I don’t see why not. Madara already gave away his Rinnegan, so he likely stole his current eyes from someone else. I noticed that he ruined one, but the other doesn’t have to go to waste.”

Minato didn’t answer, nor did his stony expression change. But if he wasn’t at least considering it, surely he would have continued attacking by now. The appeal to his practicality landed.

“…Fine,” Tobi said when he didn’t answer. “For now, let’s have a simple truce. The kids need help. I’ll go back to the village with you. If I agree not to run away, will you agree not to slice me into ribbons?”

Minato frowned, then he put his daggers away into his back pouch. “If you try to run, you won’t get the opportunity to speak again. But for now, we can focus on helping the others.”

“Rin and Kakashi still don’t know the truth about me.” Tobi looked down at Obito.

“I know,” Obito mumbled. “I’ll tell them soon. Just… let’s go home.”

“Get on my back. You look like a strong breeze could knock you over.”

Obito grumbled and complained, but he got on Tobi’s back when he crouched down. Tobi stood, grateful to have his hands free. The situation wasn’t going to become less tricky anytime soon.

* * *

When they made it back to the cavern, there was only one Naruto, and he was sitting with Rin next to Kakashi’s prone form.

Naruto jumped up. “Tou-chan! Obito! What the hell is going on? I didn’t want to leave these guys, but I was about to send a bunshin out to find you!”

Minato stepped between Tobi and Naruto. “Everything is alright for now. How are they?”

“I’m fine, sensei,” Rin said. “But Kakashi and Obito…”

“They’re not in danger anymore, but their bodies are forcing them to rest after being drained so far past their limits,” Naruto said. “I only know how to give them chakra back. They need some rest and a real healer—Rin-chan, too.”

Minato opened his palms toward his son, relaxing. He even managed a small smile. “Thank you for helping. We might have been too late if not for you.”

Naruto laughed and scratched his cheek, pleased. “We gotta catch up sometime! But I really should be going home soon. Teuchi-occhan is probably worried about me. And I, uh… there’s a lot of people who won’t be happy with me for disappearing without warning.”

“I understand, but…” Minato looked back at Tobi and Obito.

“I can do it.” Obito moved, and Tobi let him down from his back. Obito turned to Naruto. “I’m tired, but it should be fine if you give me back all the energy I use up from taking you there. Right?”

“I don’t…” Rin started hesitantly.

“I think that will work,” Tobi said. “Enough to get you through, anyway. When you come back, you’ll have to let yourself recover completely, or risk damage that no one can heal.”

“I know. I just don’t want Kakashi getting on my case,” Obito muttered.

Minato looked around at them. “Where is the book?”

“I—” Obito suddenly seemed to remember. He unzipped his jacket and pulled it out of the inside pocket. It looked battered, and the cover had a bloodstain on the front of it. But it was intact. Obito hugged it to himself tightly.

Minato’s expression softened. “I’m sorry about what happened, and I’m glad you were able to get the book back. But while you are healing, I think it might be better if I hold on to it.”

Obito’s head jerked up. “But—!”

Tobi put a hand on his shoulder. “You said yourself that you take part of the blame. I think in this case, you need to admit defeat.”

Obito made a face like he thought of hurling something rude at Tobi. But gradually, his shoulders slumped. He held out the book, and Minato took it.

“But…” Obito started again.

“I know.” Minato pulled out a storage scroll from a vest pocket. “Look at it this way: it won’t take as long if you let yourself stop and rest. I understand why you need to go this time. But after that, you need to focus on healing.”

“They’re right,” Rin said.

Obito looked downcast. But even he couldn’t bring himself to argue after all the rules he’d broken.

He turned back to Naruto. “Okay. At least we can get you home. Can I drop you somewhere that no one will see?”

“No problem. I can get back to Teuchi-occhan once you leave.” Naruto walked over to them. He threw a grin at Minato, holding up a hand to compare their slight difference in heights. “It’s been a while! Or, uh, nice to meet you? Just double-checking, you _do_ recognize me, right? So does that mean…”

Minato smiled back, though it looked slightly pained. “Aa. You surprised me. I’m used to a smaller version of you, so it’s hard to reconcile. I’m not sure whether to scold you for being reckless or thank you some more.”

“I have so many questions, I don’t even know where to start!” Naruto laughed sheepishly. “When I go back… I understand we won’t be able to meet again for a while. But I’ve gotta ask Kakashi-sensei about this.”

“Do you have to?” Obito said darkly.

Naruto’s brows scrunched. “And you have the Sanbi… what happened?”

“It’s a long story. Kakashi can tell it to you,” Minato said amusedly. “We have been working with your side a little bit. I don’t know how that will go moving forward. It’s not my place to decide. But at least, it makes me happy to see who you’ve become.”

Naruto grinned brilliantly. Obito shot Tobi a look that bordered on despairing.

 _You’re on your own with that_ , Tobi almost retorted. But instead, he said, “Let’s not drag this out any further. Going back there now is risky enough. We can negotiate working with the other side after the team has recovered.”

Minato all but bristled at Tobi taking charge, but his only response was to give a stiff nod. He knew it was the right call.

Obito took hold of Naruto’s arm. “Okay. I think this’ll work. I’ll be back soon.”

The space around them rippled, and within seconds the two of them were gone.

Tobi looked around, reassessing the situation. Rin was still sitting on her knees beside the unconscious Kakashi, but was watching and listening carefully throughout the whole exchange. There would certainly be a lot of work to do moving forward.

“So the Rokudaime is bound to hear about this,” Tobi said. “But he will want to continue helping the jinchuuriki from my time, regardless of anything else.”

“Yes. I wonder what he’d think about you joining my new team.”

Tobi laughed. “I’d like to see that. Can I be the one to tell him?”

Minato gave him a long, steady look. The warmth he had toward his son had smoothed into something unreadable. Clearly, he still wasn’t convinced.

Then Minato turned and started toward the great tree, making his way over and through the mass of roots to Madara.

“Stay there and look after Kakashi,” Tobi said to Rin.

She frowned. “Alright.”

Tobi followed through the dense plant life. Minato crouched beside Madara’s corpse, picking up one of the severed stems and examining it.

“Be careful,” Tobi warned. “In my time, he gave up his life intentionally. I’ve never tried killing him before.”

“Is this how he’s managed to survive for so long?”

“He attached himself to the tree. It is a great source of energy. He planned to stay around until he could be certain that his will would be carried on. The kid wants to use proof of Madara’s crimes as a way to resolve conflict with the Uchiha.”

“Do you think that would work?” Minato asked, not looking up at him.

“That depends. Some care far more about the present than the past.”

“There’s something else I want to ask. It’s about the time you came from.” Minato dropped the stems and brushed off his hands. “What do you know about the plot to use the Kyuubi against the village? I know it was an Uchiha. Was that also Madara?”

There was a drop of silence.

“I know what you’re really asking,” Tobi said. “Yes. That was the first Tailed Beast I tried to steal. But in the end, you outplayed me. Brilliant as always, Minato-sensei.”

Minato stood and turned to him. Tobi kept his hands loose by his sides. He was well aware that his younger self was no longer there to be a shield. He half-expected to feel the Sanbi’s energy rise and stir the air as it had before.

But it didn’t. For whatever reason, Minato seemed to have it under better control. Tobi allowed him to study his face, the familiar way it was put together, the scars visible beneath the bandages. Taking in— _truly_ taking in his identity.

“You must have suffered,” Minato said.

Tobi opened his mouth, then closed it again. He hadn’t thought anything could surprise him anymore. For once, his silver tongue failed him.

Minato looked down at Madara. “For now, we need to preserve the body until we figure out what to do with him. We should take the opportunity to learn everything we can. When the time comes, you can have his Sharingan. You’ll need it to be convincing as an Uchiha elite. We’ll make up an official identity for you, but it will be kept hidden. Understood?”

Tobi relaxed his shoulders. “I see. ‘The head of the new secret squad is an Uchiha’ will be the rumor. Everyone will wonder about my identity even more, and the kid won’t be as relevant.”

“It was your suggestion.”

“Obito!”

Tobi turned to the sound of Rin’s call. His younger self had stumbled back into the space. He climbed and jumped over the roots in the way and make it back to them quickly.

“Are you alright?” Tobi steadied the younger and looked him over critically. “That wasn’t the wisest move, but I guess it can’t be helped.”

“I’m fine,” Obito said, but he didn’t reject his help.

“Everything is set, at least for now,” Tobi told him and Rin. “The important thing right now is to get the three of you home. I’m sure Minato-sensei will handle the jumps.”

Obito glanced over at Minato. He was walking back as well.

“What happens after that?” Obito asked quietly.

Tobi gave an unamused smirk. “Your guess is as good as mine.”

* * *

After they made it home, there was a lot of activity all at once. Minato was officially given the Hokage hat in front of everyone. The kids were briefly admitted to the hospital, just to make sure they weren’t left with any serious adverse effects. Soon they were cleared to rest at home, even Kakashi, who had been hardest hit by the draining power of the vines.

It took a few days for Obito to figure out what the official story was. No one on the street and few in the hospital noticed that they’d come in after everyone else.

But when he returned to the District, the occasional stares prickled the back of his neck. He found out why very quickly once he entered Hinako’s shop.

“Bitty-chan!” she called out when he entered. “I’m hearing contradictions everywhere! And there’s a man—” She took Obito’s arm and steered him into the back room where she had her workshop. Obito let himself get caught up in the whirlwind, trepidation growing. “—There’s a man in your apartment. I haven’t been able to talk about it to _anyone_. Minato said he’s only there until proper arrangements can be made. But he’s the head of Minato’s new squad, right? _And_ there’s a rumor that your team fought Madara himself.”

Obito leaned against a table. “I’ve been out of it for a few days. I don’t really know what I can say.”

He’d known Tobi was going to stay at his home for a little while, so he knew Hinako would inevitably corner him with questions about it. But he wasn’t sure what version of the truth they’d decided to tell.

“But that’s him, isn’t it? I heard he was tracking some sort of weapon Madara stole, and found his hiding place that way. I hardly believe it. Can you at least tell me if you really saw Madara?”

Obito hesitated. The past few days since they got home were a blur of exhaustion to him, and he hadn’t heard much. But as good as Hinako was at finding secrets, she was just as good at keeping them. “Yeah. He was still alive somehow. But not anymore.”

Hinako gave a low whistle. “I understand Minato taking on someone new for investigations, but why is someone like that staying here, of all places? This building has more security seals on it than the ANBU. I’m certain Fugaku suspects something. But he won’t say anything until he’s sure that the Madara rumor is true.”

Obito rubbed his forehead. He still felt a bit of lingering tiredness. “Believe me, it’s not what I would have picked, either.”

“That man smells of darkness,” Hinako continued. “What’s his connection with you? Are you really part of that team? At the very least, you must have seen his face if you’re expected to room up for a while.”

“Yeah, I know everything about him,” Obito said sarcastically. “I’ll introduce you if it’s possible. I gotta find out what Minato-sensei wants to do.” _And what Tobi’s cover story is going to be,_ he added silently.

Hinako frowned, stretching the long wrinkles on her face. “Alright then. Come on down if you need anything. I’m not supposed to go upstairs as long as our guest is here.” She scoffed, and Obito cracked a smile over how unimpressed with Tobi she sounded.

“Thanks, Hina-baa.” Obito held up his hand briefly and left through the workshop door.

When he made it into his apartment upstairs, Tobi was sitting on the couch, reading from a long scroll. He leaned back and craned his head casually to look at Obito.

“You should know that I ate all your leftovers while you were off hunting for Tsunade. It would have been a shame to let those sentiments go to waste.”

Obito left his sandals near the door and padded into the room. “Thanks.”

Tobi raised a brow and watched as he went into the kitchen to take stock of what was there. He’d go to the market soon, but not tonight.

“What are you planning now?” Tobi asked.

Obito closed the cabinets over his sink and frowned back at Tobi. “A grocery list. Is that alright with you?”

“You know what I mean. You didn’t seem too happy about giving up the Book.”

Obito let out a sigh from his nose. “Of course I wasn’t. But there’s nothing I can do about it. The medics say Rin did a good job on my eye, but I’m only supposed to use it a little bit to make sure the connections work.”

“You don’t want to try using the Mangekyou? There’s a chance it will allow you to jump without needing a path.”

Obito gave a tsk under his breath. He didn’t want to give Tobi the satisfaction of knowing that he’d already tested it. But he couldn’t even activate it. “Same difference. That would _really_ take too much.”

Tobi touched below his new eye. Obito knew it was the Sharingan he’d gotten from Madara, though it wasn’t activated at the moment.

“When I was your age, I had the unwavering conviction that things would work out the way I wanted if I just kept going. I didn’t know how I was going to get there. I was waiting, trying to do good, desperate to be acknowledged. I couldn’t let go of the idea that someday, someone would come along and truly see me.”

“What’s your point?”

Tobi lowered his hand slowly. “When you are a child, you believe you’ll be rewarded for being a good person, or that someone will save you when things are wrong. Eventually, you have to let that illusion go, or you risk becoming passive at best—a monster at worst. That is why I fell to Madara so easily. My illusions were shattered all at once, in the worst way imaginable.”

Obito wanted to fire back, to say anything. But the memory of Madara’s Incarnation was still very fresh in his mind. He didn’t like the way it felt.

“So?”

Tobi sighed. “My point is, you will reach the end of everyone’s goodwill very quickly if you continue being reckless. You can’t avoid responsibility entirely. So I hope you mean it when you say you’re not planning anything.”

“I’m really not,” Obito said quietly. “I know we put Rin and Kakashi and Minato-sensei through a lot. The least I can do is listen to them now. Besides, I still don’t understand what _you’re_ trying to do here.”

Tobi gave a small laugh. “I understand why you think letting me go means having something new to worry about. But I’m not supposed to exist in this world. I can do things from the outside that you can’t. Aren’t you the one who said I should help save everything I screwed up when it was my turn?”

“Guess we’ll both have to prove it then, won’t we?” Obito opened his fridge and found a large bottle half full of barley tea. He took a long gulp directly from the bottle, then wiped the back of his mouth with his hand. He stood still for a moment, the plastic bending in his grip.

“…It’s October already,” he said as an afterthought.

“What’s _your_ point?”

“I only know what old-Kakashi told me, but this is the year it happens, isn’t it? The end of the war. Madara making all his schemes. It’s all different now, but it would have been soon if nothing had changed.”

“It’s better not to think about it,” Tobi said scathingly. “Kiri is beaten, and Madara is dead. You’ll still be recovering, so there will be no missions. We’ll be sad about it for a day, and then move on.”

“You’re right.” Obito put the cap back on the bottle and returned it to the fridge. He leaned against the island counter, facing Tobi. “By the way, Rin and Kakashi are coming over here tonight. When we were out looking for Tsuande-sama, I told them a little about what happened with the future timeline. Now they want to know everything.”

“Is that what you’re going to tell them? Everything?”

“I don’t know. Whatever they want, I guess. It’s just like you said: I gotta face it sometime. I owe them that much.”

Tobi considered him for a few seconds, thumb absently running along his scarred jaw. Then he leaned forward in his seat and started rolling up the long scroll. “It’s for the best. If I’m staying in this world, it will be a relief not to pretend for their sakes.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter made _me_ cry.... the prodigal student trope makes me emotional.
> 
> Chapter 19: _october 10_ will post... when I get done with it, but hopefully it'll be the same amount of time as this one took, or less.
> 
> Since we're close to the end, I wrote up a bunch of stuff about what I might be working on next... but it got kind of long, so I put it in a blog post [here](https://blaizekit.tumblr.com/post/641746940887957505/end-of-hfoww-update-feb-2021-so-whats-next-for). Let me know any thoughts on these too.
> 
> Until next time!


	19. october 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> posted 2/10/2021.
> 
> This chapter was getting long, so I decided to split it into two. Partly to go ahead and get something out (I couldn't not post on feb 10!), and partly because 20 is a much nicer number to end on than 19.

When Rin and Kakashi came to visit, they slipped into the stairwell, bypassing Hinako’s shop so they wouldn’t draw too much attention to themselves.

Obito let them in, feeling a little awkward. The three of them had mostly recovered from the fight against Madara and the draining vines, but they hadn’t really had the chance to talk since returning to the village.

“How are you doing?” Rin asked after she and Kakashi came in.

“Feeling better,” Obito said. “I haven’t been using my Sharingan too much. And I’ll be glad when I don’t have a roommate to deal with anymore.” He tilted his head toward Tobi, who now sat in the living room chair, uniformed minus the etched mask.

“Are you staying, then?” Rin asked Tobi. “We haven’t been able to find out much since getting home. Is it true you work for Minato-sensei now?”

“For now, yes.”

“And you have Madara’s eye,” Rin observed.

Tobi smiled, and his left eye became the Sharingan. “Not _his_ , exactly. But it came from his body.”

Kakashi halfway sat on one of the bar stools in front of the kitchen counter, keeping one foot on the floor. “What happened with Madara? Rin said you killed him, then Minato-sensei showed up… what the hell was that about?”

Tobi shrugged. “That was a small misunderstanding. I left the village when I realized Madara had the book. Sensei realized I’d taken Obito’s place, so he wasted no time in coming after me.”

Rin sat on the couch, expression concerned. “But Obito said you and Minato-sensei met before. Why didn’t he recognize you? The mood was so tense, I was afraid something terrible would happen when you both left.”

“He _did_ recognize me.” Tobi directed a placid smile at Obito. “Maybe you would like to explain it? I don’t know what you intend to do here.”

Kakashi and Rin looked at Obito. He stayed standing in the same spot. He’d spent plentyy of time thinking about what to say to them. But even now, he wasn’t sure how far to go.

In the end, he wanted to help them understand how they’d all gotten to that point. Even if it led to more uncomfortable questions.

Obito rubbed the back of his head nervously. “Okay. I guess the simplest way to explain it is… this timeline has changed a lot since I visited the other ones. Things are very different over there. There are a lot of reasons why, but the biggest reasons are Madara… and me.”

Kakashi crossed his arms skeptically. “You?”

“The—the other versions of me all carried out Madara’s will.” Obito took a deep breath. Going into every painful detail wasn’t necessary to get his point across. “Remember when we had that mission to cut off Iwa’s supply route? That’s where everything went wrong. I was supposed to nearly die that day. A huge rock fell and crushed half my body. It happened near Madara’s hideout. I ended up stuck in that underground cave. And—well, you saw what he’s like. Everything kept going wrong after that. In the end, I—I mean, _Tobi_ …”

Obito felt his face starting to burn. It was too strange, not only telling them the story, but to do it with Tobi listening as well.

Rin noticed his hesitation and turned to Tobi. “That’s—terrible. That’s what happened to you?”

“Yes.” Tobi held up his hands. It was hardly perceptible in the lighting, but they didn’t quite match. “Madara replaced the destroyed portions of my body with the same plant-like material his underlings were made of. The war ended far worse for my team than it has in this time. I was presumed killed in action. You were…” Tobi lowered his hands, balling them into fists. He was silent for a few seconds, then gave a bitter smile. “I thought I was tougher than the kid. But, I guess not.”

“You were killed by Kiri a little while later, Rin,” Obito said quietly.

Rin looked back at him quickly, mouth slightly open in surprise. “R-Really?”

Obito gave a slow nod. “It would have been a few days from now, actually. The war was still going in that time. But here, it’s over. Me and Naruto and Minato-sensei took everything we knew about the other times and changed the outcome.” 

“…What happened to me?” Kakashi asked.

“You survived the war.” Tobi closed his left eye and ran his index finger over it, tracing a scar that wasn’t there. “But you lost an eye during the Kannabi bridge mission. When I got crushed, I thought I was going to die. So I gave you my eye to replace it. You went on to become famously known as _Sharingan_ Kakashi, the Copy-Nin.” Tobi seemed unable to say it without a hint of sneer. “The future you seems to have lost it, but he’s never deigned to explain how. He became the Rokudaime Hokage in that time.”

“Oh no.” Kakashi put a hand over his forehead, elbow propped up in his other hand. “Please tell me this is all a joke. Something you two thought would be funny to pull.”

“Why didn’t you tell us before?” Rin asked Obito. “We could have helped. I mean… I’m glad you told Minato-sensei, and I’m glad none of that ended up happening here. But we had no idea. Wouldn’t it have been better if everyone was working together?”

“I know,” Obito said miserably.

“That would be my fault,” Tobi said. “They were not eager to tell you about me. Even after we met. Even now.”

“Why?” Kakashi asked. But it was clear he and Rin already had a vague idea. They looked uneasy, cautious.

Tobi glanced at Obito. Obito pressed his lips tightly together and nodded.

Tobi rested his elbows on the arms of the chair and loosely twined his fingers together. “I’ll spare you the gory details, at least. The important thing to understand is that I became disillusioned with the world after everything happened. My solution to that feeling was to nullify everything. I gladly carried on Madara’s ambition to cast a powerful genjutsu over the whole world. I did many things that would disgust you. I became what you might call…” the corner of his mouth twisted up, “scum.”

“But… you’re not,” Rin said. “You protected us. You saved our lives.”

“By most definitions, I am a criminal. I was imprisoned within kamui by agreement between several Kage from different times. The only reason Minato-sensei is willing to defy that agreement is because I can be more useful out here than stuck in there. I hope you can believe that without me having to list everything I’ve done as proof. Not for my own sake. Think of your teammate’s feelings.”

Rin and Kakashi looked back at Obito, standing there rigidly with his hands down by his sides. He wanted to back away until he disappeared through the wall.

He forced the words to come out. “None of that will happen this time. I promise. So, if you really want to know, I’ll—”

“I believe you. Both of you,” Kakashi said. “Obito, if you were afraid we’d look at you differently or something, you’re an even bigger idiot than I thought.”

“That’s right. Whatever happened, that was somewhere—some _when_ else entirely,” Rin said.

Obito let out a long breath. He hadn’t realized how badly he’d wanted to hear those words again, even when Kakashi couched them within an insult. He felt winded, like he’d just done a sprint.

Kakashi uncrossed his arms. “I still have a lot of questions, though. Tobi, you got banned from your world and locked up in kamui—I don’t doubt you did something serious, especially since Minato-sensei doesn’t seem to trust you. But you said ‘by most definitions, you’re a criminal’. Is that your definition, too? Do you regret what you did?”

“I think that’s a pointless question. If you’re trying to decide whether we should be friends, the answer is no. I gave up my free will and shed my identity. I sold my life to the first thing that gave an answer to my despair. Where exactly should my regrets begin?”

“Actually, I want to know too,” Obito said in a rush. “How much of it was Madara’s influence? How much control did he have over you?”

Tobi frowned at him. “I don’t know. There was something I wanted more than anything, and it conveniently matched exactly what Madara wanted me to do. If I regret anything, it’s that I was ever naive enough to think my decisions were entirely my own. Now I’m in a world where none of that ever happened, and whatever influence he had is gone. I haven’t been here long enough to understand what my real desires are. Maybe they’re the same as before, or maybe I’ll find purpose in something else.”

“But you remember who you were before, don’t you?” Rin pressed.

“Who I was before is dead,” Tobi said flatly. “Nothing can reverse what I’ve seen and done, what I know.”

Kakashi scowled. “Then why are you even bothering to help us?”

Tobi rested a hand on his chest. “I can’t say for sure. I don’t know if what I believe about the world is real, or if it was injected into me, or if it even matters in the end. There’s only one feeling I’m certain is true to me. I want you to live. For now, that is the only instinct I trust to follow. Using my knowledge to head off threats inside and outside is the solution I’ve come up with.”

“That’s proof you _do_ remember who you were. Whatever Madara made you think was a lie,” Rin said softly. “You and Obito could learn to get along better. If you want to figure out who you really are, you could ask him.”

Tobi put his hands on the arms of the chair and stood. “It would be counterproductive for me to continue this discussion. You’ve heard the story, and I told you what my purpose here is. Now that’s done, I have work to do.”

“Really? That’s it?” Kakashi asked as Tobi walked by him.

Tobi paused beside Obito. “I’ve discovered there’s no true way to go back. And I don’t know what going forward means. If you have questions about anything besides that, I’ll be glad to answer them.” He put on the white, etched mask he used as part of his disguise, then left.

Obito looked over his shoulder and watched Tobi leave. He didn’t try to stop him. But it was very strange, knowing that Tobi was allowed to go into the village as himself now.

He turned back to Kakashi and Rin. “Yeah, I don’t get it either. But I don’t think he’ll do anything to betray us anytime soon. When he gets his own place, it’ll be more like a prison in disguise. Minato-sensei knows what he’s doing.”

“Right.” Rin looked put out.

There was an awkward pause.

“So… that’s how it is,” Obito said, fidgeting with the sleeves of his jacket.

“I can’t say it’s what I expected, but it does explain a lot,” Kakashi said.

“Sorry.”

Rin tucked a lock of hair behind her ear. “Sorry to ask, but I’m still not really clear about how this started. You said Orochimaru from another time Summoned you using the book, right? And a healer kept you alive on this side after you were captured.”

“Yeah,” Obito latched onto the new topic eagerly. “He summoned me, Naruto, a kid named Kabuto, and even himself at one point. We were trapped in Orochimaru’s hideout, but we managed to escape.”

“Right. I think you’ve mentioned that before,” Kakashi said. “But why did he do that? And if you were under contract, how were you able to get out?”

“I guess it was because—he was interested in other dimensions, and he knew about my kamui ability. But Naruto was the first person Orochimaru summoned. Like Madara had influence on Tobi, Orochimaru had influence over Naruto. But the amount of control was even more direct. I unlocked my Sharingan because he made Naruto attack me.”

“What?” Rin leaned forward, shifting to sit closer to the edge of the couch. “Are you talking about the version we met the first time? The younger one? Orochimaru has control over him?”

“Not anymore,” Obito said quickly. “Kushina-san and Minato-sensei blocked his seal. It’s tied to the Kyuubi’s seal, so they can’t get rid of it without breaking that. But for now, Orochimaru can’t control him. And we have the book, so he can’t summon us back again.”

“So it works differently than other types of Summoning,” Kakashi summarized.

“I don’t know everything about how it works, but that’s the gist of it.” Obito felt disgust rise up within him at the memory, and he paced to the other side of the room, going nowhere in particular. “Naruto convinced Orochimaru to send us back home by promising to carry the control seal back with him. He basically agreed to be a lab rat in exchange for us going back home! It was ridiculous. He didn’t even know us back then. And I…”

That was exactly a year ago, but it felt like so much longer than that. Obito put his hand over the crystal pendant under his shirt.

He remembered when he’d taken the older Naruto back home after the battle with Madara. Before leaving, he’d thanked him for his help once again.

 _“No problem ‘ttebayo!”_ he’d said. _“Besides, the younger me told me to protect you.”_

_“What? When was that?”_

_“Right at the end. None of us were sure he was going to make it. If his idea didn’t work, you would’ve been stuck there in the middle of the war.”_

Naruto nearly died trying to save them all, and his last thought was how to make sure Obito lived if he failed.

He always thought about how to save other people. He never stopped. How did he do it? And why? Obito found it exhausting enough trying to save the people he most cared about.

“…And I miss him,” Obito finished.

Maybe it was that simple, after all.

Obito sank down onto the couch beside Rin. “Talking to the other version was nice, but it’s not the same. It was like… before all the war hero stuff, before jounin, before our team really started working together well—they relied on me. I was _needed_. I found out what I can do when it really counts. All the good things I have now started from that. I’m still alive. I’m not some kind of puppet to Madara.”

“I’m glad things went differently this time, too,” Rin said. “But we got the book back. It won’t be much longer before you can see each other again. I’m sure he wouldn’t want you to push yourself, either.”

“I know.”

“Where are you doing from here? With the other side, that is,” Kakashi said thoughtfully.

Obito looked up. “Minato-sensei wants Tobi to deal with the sort of things that could be linked to us here, since somebody already leaked my involvement to the Bingo Book. But we’ll keep helping the jinchuuriki on the other side. After that, I don’t know.”

“What about us?” Rin asked.

“Keeping up with _one_ world is enough for me,” Kakashi said.

Obito smiled. “That’s something you and your older self have in common. Do you guys want to meet him when I can travel again? It’d be funny.”

“Funny how?” Kakashi asked skeptically.

“That would be fun. I want to see another world sometime,” Rin said. “But I agree with Kakashi. Seeing it is one thing, but there’s so much I want to do here. I guess this means you’ll keep visiting there as much as you did before?”

Obito scratched his head. “I hope so. We won’t have as many team missions now that Minato-sensei is Hokage, huh? And each of us getting our own specialties.”

“We’ll have them if we want them. Sensei might not be able to go with us, but we’re more than qualified to take missions on our own,” Kakashi said.

Obito scoffed. “I bet _you_ could get on any team you wanted. Are you sure you want to stick with us?”

“This team is plenty adequate for anything I’d want to do. Besides, it’s too much of a hassle to learn how to work with a new group.”

Rin tilted her head with a bright smile. “I might get to be a medical jounin soon. Uchiha Shintaro-sensei brought it up when I told him about the procedure on Obito’s eye. He could hardly believe I was the one who did it, but I’m pretty sure I can get Tsunade-sama to vouch for me.”

Kakashi’s foot slipped from the bottom rung of the stool. “ _What?_ You never mentioned that!”

“ _We’ll_ vouch for you!” Obito said at the same time.

Pink splotches appeared high up on Rin’s cheeks. “Thank you. Everything was so busy for a while, and I didn’t know if it would work out. But I really think it will. Of course I still want to go on missions when I can, though.”

“We have to tell Kushina-san! If there’s something you’d really like to eat, I bet she could make it,” Obito said.

Rin held up her hands. “I’m fine with going to that yakiniku place again. Remember, the one we went to before? That way, everyone can relax. It’s too soon to make plans, anyway. Nothing’s been decided yet.”

They kept talking until it was very late, sometimes arguing, other times recalling the haphazard journey that had led them to Madara. They talked in a way they rarely had before—casually, about nothing, about the future.

Maybe it was relief that they’d gotten the book back and survived. Maybe it was finally sinking in that the war was over.

There would almost certainly be dark spots to come. But strangely, despite everything that happened and everything there still was to do, the future had never looked brighter.

* * *

It was four full weeks before the medics were willing to say that the connections behind Obito’s eye were fully healed. They had every reason to be cautions—and it was very likely the fight against Madara hadn’t helped matters.

Still, the waiting was hell.

Obito started training again with Fugaku in a limited capacity. Itachi and Mikoto were thrilled about him coming back again. Fugaku, however, seemed to already suspect that Obito and Tobi had something to do with one another. The Uchiha head was too canny to ask him outright, but he did ask pointed questions about Obito’s recovery period and plans Minato had for their team going forward.

Tobi had been right about October 10. There was some sadness, not just for him.

And he was wrong. It was also joyful.

Kushina, Minato, and the rest of their team got together at the barbecue place to celebrate Rin’s official jounin nomination. Tsunade had returned to the village shortly after they did, not to stay, but to ‘take care of something’, as she put it. But before she left again, she gladly made the recommendation for Rin.

Tobi turned down the invitation to join them, but he sat on the roof, assuming the unnecessary role of guard as the others ate and talked. Obito wasn’t sure what he was thinking. Maybe he was superstitious. Maybe he just wanted something to do. While everyone was finally parting ways, Obito saw him leave in the direction of the Hokage tower, presumably heading for his hidden quarters on one of its underground floors.

That was all he glimpsed before Kushina pulled all three of the kids into big hug, right there in the street.

“I’m so proud of you all, ‘ttebane!” In a lower tone, she said next to Obito’s ear: “We want to do something for Naruto, even if it ends up being really late. But not a day before Rin-chan says you can, alright?” Then she let them go.

Rin gave an apologetic half-smile and shrugged. “Keep doing a little every day. It’s best not to rush it.”

“Right,” Obito said. “I… I’ll do my best. So you guys can see him again.”

Kushina ruffled his hair. “You heard the medic. There’s no rush. I’m sure he’s worried too, but I want to rely on those eyes of yours for a long time to come.”

* * *

Three weeks after the gathering, after Rin was fully promoted, after normal missions resumed for teams that hadn’t suffered any great injuries, Obito found himself at Minato and Kushina’s doorstep once again.

It was barely dawn, and cold. Obito rubbed his hands together for warmth as Minato gestured for him to come inside.

“You’re early,” he said, a spark of laughter in his eyes.

Obito hoped the flush on his face looked like a reaction to the cold. “I-It might take a while to explain what happened. I’ll try to convince Jiraiya-sama to—”

“He’s here already?” Kushina walked in, peering at Obito blearily. Her long hair was lumpy in places, and she had a big mug of coffee.

“Sorry,” Obito said quickly.

Kushina yawned. “That’s okay. I could hardly sleep! But don’t worry if he can’t come back right away. Everything they get up to over there, there might be something going on. Just be careful.”

“Here.” Minato held out the book to Obito, smiling.

Obito took it carefully. Having the book up close again, it looked far worse for the wear. The bloodstain on the front was one thing, but the edges of the paper looked wavy in some places, as if the rain had touched it. Obito opened it and let the pages fall open. They didn’t stick together, and nothing looked damaged on the inside. He closed it again.

“Will it work?” Minato murmured.

“I think so. I hope so.”

“Come back soon. You’ll stay over this time, won’t you?” Kushina snaked her free hand around Minato’s waist and leaned against him. “Plans are kinda loose, y’know, it depends on what they’re doing, but we have the cake ready to go and everything.”

Obito broke into a grin. He was nervous and excited all at once. “Sure, I will.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The next (and last) chapter won't take as long to post as this one, since it's almost complete already. It may be a smidge short also, and very resolution-y like this one, but I hope you're looking forward to it! :D


	20. times like these

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> the title is a reference to an Eden Project song of the same name, but you can also consider it about me being so late despite the chapter being on the shorter side and having been 80% complete when the last one was posted. I got off track last week in a big way lol.

Obito followed the long threads that connected the contracts to the other dimension.

There were still two. That alone was a huge relief. But they were in separate locations. Jiraiya and Naruto were still constantly on the move, it seemed. Obito hesitated for a moment within the in-between space, then turned his attention to the travelers out somewhere within the Land of Fire. His heart leapt when he hovered between the borders and saw it come into view.

They were camping in a heavily wooded area. Hanging out high above, Obito didn’t see any other people nearby. He spotted Jiraiya sitting on a boulder away from camp, meditating.

There was a small, new fire flickering in the clearing they’d made. Naruto sat in front of the fire wrapped in a blanket. He was dozing lightly, head slumped over to one side.

Obito appeared behind a tree and braced his hands against the cold bark, nearly winded. It wouldn’t have seemed real, if not for the chilly morning air, the smell of the fire, the weight of his own limbs as he took a few steps forward.

He stepped on a twig and Naruto raised his head at the sound. His eyes widened when he realized who he was seeing. Naruto stood abruptly, his expression pure bewilderment. “ _Obito?”_

Breath caught sharply in Obito’s throat. He took the last few strides quickly and hugged Naruto, the momentum pushing him a half step back. Naruto made a surprised sound. After a second, he crossed his arms over Obito’s shoulders, draping them both in the blanket.

He was warm and solid. Real.

“Hey, are you okay? W-What the hell happened? It’s been—we thought you might’ve been—”

“I’m sorry.” Obito’s voice cracked. He pressed his face into the blanket against the rising tears. “I didn’t mean to disappear. There was an attack, and I lost the book, and—I knew you were probably worried to death, but everyone’s okay. Everybody is okay. The war’s over.”

“I’m not dreaming, right?” Naruto sounded dazed.

“Well, look who finally decided to show up,” Jiraiya said lightly from behind them.

Obito pulled away from Naruto and turned around, dragging his sleeve hurriedly across his face.

“We _were_ worried about you, kiddo. Why don’t you sit down and catch us up on what’s been going on?”

Obito lowered his arm and nodded once. He sat on the log in front of the fire, and Naruto sat down beside him.

He detailed the basics of what happened to them, from the book’s loss to the end of the war. He skated over some of the finer details, like how recklessly he’d acted when he first realized the book was missing—he didn’t feel like getting lectured by Jiraiya just then.

But there was one thing he couldn’t skip over however much he wanted to: Tobi’s involvement. By the time Obito finished telling the story, they were both staring at him in disbelief.

“Minato can’t be serious!” Jiraiya palmed his forehead. “There’s a reason we decided to keep him locked up. No offense, but your older self managed to con a bunch of smart and dangerous people into doing what he wanted. He’s too slippery to let roam free. What if it’s all an act?”

“I don’t know,” Obito said, staring at the fire. “It can’t _all_ be an act. There was a moment when older-Naruto was busy, Rin and Kakashi were down, and Minato-sensei was still far behind. I couldn’t move. He could have easily taken my eyes and gotten away with it. With his healing ability, he could have left the world before Minato-sensei had time to show up. But instead, he gave sensei a jump point and turned himself in.”

Jiraiya gave a grumbling sigh from deep within his chest. “I get what you’re saying, but that’s hardly a solid case. Tsunade won’t be happy to hear about this. But as long as Tobi is anywhere but here, I don’t see her trying to argue the point.”

“What do you think?” Obito asked Naruto cautiously. It was something he’d wondered for a while. “After what Tobi did in this time, are you okay with him being around Minato-sensei a lot more?”

Naruto considered it for a moment, arms crossed underneath the blanket still draped over him. “What’d the older me think about him?”

Obito tried to remember. “I was going in and out of consciousness, so I’m not sure. But I remember he transferred energy over to me, and Tobi was holding on to me the whole time. I guess if he was worried about Tobi, he would have tried fighting him too.”

Naruto nodded. “It sounds like the older me was using Kyuubi Chakra Mode during that fight. He can use it to sense evil intent. In the Fourth War, he used it to find plant clone impostors hiding inside the Allied Shinobi Force. If he didn’t mind Tobi being there, then neither do I. Besides, after Tobi did so much trying to turn the world back, I think he’d be serious about wanting to protect the past.”

“Maybe so,” Jiraiya said. “For your sakes, I hope that’s true.”

“I knew Madara wasn’t gonna stay quiet forever. I wish I could’ve been there,” Naruto murmured.

“You were,” Obito said.

Naruto nudged him with an elbow. “You know what I mean! But it would’ve been awesome to see aniki in action, too. Next time you go to the future, figure a way to sneak him out so I can learn more about the Kyuubi Chakra Mode! It’ll come in handy if we ever run into Orochimaru again.”

“Will you ever learn to do one thing at a time?” Jiraiya asked dryly.

“You were there, though.” Obito pulled the necklace off over his head and pooled it into his hand. “I think having this really helped me, especially when we were fighting against Madara. But I brought it back, just like you asked.” Obito held it out to Naruto.

Naruto lifted his hand to reach for it, then stopped. He let his hand fall. “Maybe you should hold onto it for a while.”

“Why?” Obito withdrew slightly.

“I want to learn the Kyuubi Chakra Mode, and start using Kurama’s power for real. I’ll take it back when I’ve mastered that. We get along okay most of the time, so I don’t need anything to suppress his power. It might interfere with our training. Besides, it’s connected to something beyond the worlds. If you hold onto it, maybe something else will happen.”

Obito wasn’t particularly keen to find out what that ‘something’ might be, but he couldn’t refuse. The crystal acted strangely sometimes, but at least it seemed to be on his side.

And he liked having it. He wasn’t sure what the sentiment behind it was—and asking was too terrifying a prospect. But no matter what else, it had to mean _I want to see you again._ And that alone was enough.

“Okay,” Obito said dumbly. He slipped the necklace back over his head. When he put his hand flat over it, he could feel his pulse reflected back to him. “Is there anything else you guys want to know right now? Minato-sensei and Kushina-san want you to come over, if it’s alright.”

Naruto quickly looked at Jiraiya, who held up both his hands. “Hey, I won’t stand in your way this time. It’s way overdue. Just report back to me if you plan on staying for longer than a few days. I’ll just keep going forward on my own.”

“Right!” Naruto shed the blanket and hurriedly started gathering his things.

“Did you guys find any more jinchuuriki?” Obito asked Jiraiya.

“No. We were able to get the first two so quickly because the Mizukage is on our side. We’ll have to watch Akatsuki and strike at the right time, like we did with Yugito. It’ll be a long stretch from here on out.”

Naruto finished packing his bag and ran to loop his arm around Obito’s. “I’ll catch you guys up on everything! Let’s go!”

* * *

After they arrived home to Kushina and Minato, there were a lot of hugs and tears and everybody trying to talk at the same time. Rin and Kakashi were invited over. They had a big lunch with cake, and gradually everything settled down.

Naruto explained everything he and Jiraiya had been up to during the absence.

Previously, during the four months after the Sanbi incident, Obito went to the other time as often as he could to train and help Jiraiya and Naruto figure out ways to save the different jinchuuriki. They left Kabuto back in Konoha to continue his medic training with Sakura and Tsunade. Team Minato had their smaller missions, and the situation between Kiri and Konoha remained relatively quiet as both sides regrouped. Naruto visited his parents as often as he could get away with. Then the war started ramping up again.

They knew that saving Yugito would be the last mission they’d be able to pull off together for a while. But none of them had expected the connection to be cut off without warning.

He’d always hoped for some sort of news, Naruto explained, but at first they were not too worried about the silence. Then, after a week with no updates, he’d started to wonder.

It wasn’t until a couple of days later that they _really_ started to worry. The day the contracts were destroyed and restored.

Tsunade contacted Jiraiya and Naruto, telling them that Kabuto had collapsed in the middle of a training session. Though it was hard to be sure with his unusual body, it was if a switch had been flipped, and he was dead. He woke up a minute later, apparently unharmed.

But they knew what it had to mean. Naruto and Jiraiya went back to Konoha right away to talk to Kabuto and try to figure out what was happening.

“Not knowing was the worst part,” he admitted softly. “I didn’t know what happened, or if I’d ever see you guys again.”

But there was nothing they could do except wait.

They remained in Konoha until Naruto’s birthday. After that, it was clear they weren’t going to learn anything else by staying there, so Naruto and Jiraiya hit the road again.

But getting back to their work was difficult. They weren’t sure how to plan their next rescues without knowing whether they would have access to Kakashi’s safehouse, and the worry and unknowing was a distraction as well.

Obito listened to the story quietly, leaving most of the reacting and question-asking to the others. It was hard not to let the guilt weigh on his shoulders.

After the impromptu party, Kushina once again invited them over to stay. Rin and Kakashi declined, echoing Obito’s usual reasoning—they should enjoy their time together as a family.

But this time, Obito decided to accept, just as he said he would. He met the other two at the door as they left.

“Will you be alright?” Rin asked hesitantly. “About the Sanbi…”

“Yeah. I haven’t had any nightmares about it since—” Obito put his hand over the crystal pendant, suddenly realizing. “Not since I hid the necklace from Tsunade.”

Rin tilted her head slightly to one side. “Maybe the Shodai really _is_ looking out for you.”

Obito laughed uneasily. “I don’t know why he would. I might understand him helping me fight Madara. But I’m of Madara’s bloodline. If anything, that would count against me. It was probably a coincidence. The nightmares were starting to slow down, anyway.”

After the other two left, Obito, Naruto, Minato, and Kushina spent the rest of the evening playing board games and sharing more details about all the things Naruto had missed.

He wanted to see Tobi in his new role first-hand, and Minato promised to hold the first completely official Team To meeting the next day. They could come up with a strategy for moving forward then. Until then, they would simply enjoy being back together again.

They put Naruto up in the sole guest room, as usual. When Kushina made up made up a spare futon on the floor in the same room, Obito was so caught off guard that he said ‘okay’ without thinking.

When he agreed to stay, he thought it would be downstairs on the couch. He hadn’t thought they would be in the same _room_.

Obito had camped with Naruto and Jiraiya under the stars of Mount Myoboku plenty of times, and Naruto had stayed at his apartment before. There was no reason being in the same room should be any different. Obito mentally shoved back his nervousness after the lights were out and they were laying in the darkness.

He lay on his side, facing the door, staring at the dim outline around the frame. After several long, silent minutes, he thought Naruto had fallen asleep.

But then Naruto broke the silence with a murmur. “Thank you. For finding the book. And protecting the connection.”

Obito rolled onto his back. He couldn’t quite see Naruto from where he lay on the floor. “I had to. I mean, it was my fault it got stolen. If that hadn’t happened, you could have been here on your actual birthday.”

Naruto went silent again for a moment. Then Obito saw him reach up with fingers splayed, touching the moonlight streaming in through the window. “I thought about that, too. It started off as kind of a bad day. But then Iruka-sensei came over, and we were together the whole day. I got to see Sakura-chan and Kabuto and Kakashi-sensei, too. And even though I missed everybody here, it made me realize how lucky I am.”

“I know what you mean,” Obito said quietly.

“And I thought about how this world will be different. We made sure kaa-chan won’t lose Kurama, that the attack won’t happen. And by doing that, we made it possible for Iruka-sensei’s parents to survive, too. I thought, I’d like to bring him here someday to see them, even if they can’t know who he is. So in a small way, I’ll be able to give him back a piece of what he gave to me. The same thing you gave me when you found my world. So let me say thanks. Just this once.”

“Okay,” Obito said with difficulty.

Naruto lowered his voice. “I’ve been through it before, too. I didn’t know about Kurama when I was younger, but people held the attack against me. Sometimes I felt responsible for what happened, even though it really wasn’t my fault at all. It’s weird, right?”

Obito couldn’t answer right away. There was a sharp lump in his throat. He pulled the duvet up and let the weight of it settle on his face.

“Anyway,” Naruto said, “I can’t say I’ve let go of that stuff completely, so I know how you feel. I know how everything turned out for me in the future, but it just as easily could have gone a different way. I dunno how to explain it, but… to me, that’s made it even more important to keep working. I know we can change the outcome. Y’know what I mean?”

Obito folded the duvet down. “Yeah. And we will. Things change, but we can change them in a good way.”

“Exactly!”

Obito smiled to himself as he looked up at the dark ceiling. They’d had a weird and wild journey, but Naruto was right. So much had already changed for the better.

It wouldn’t be easy, but it would be worth it. All the effort they’d put in until now had landed them here.

And there was nowhere else he’d rather be.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I usually end these stories by thanking everyone and saying how much I've learned in the process, but right now I really want to thank everyone in the most genuine way possible. Thank you for sticking with me through quarantine-fueled bizarre spinoff ideas and diving in without a lot of initial planning (though I did end up with a hefty plan in the end).
> 
> Speaking of, in the past I've outlined using the program OneNote because it allowed me to group ideas in a freeform way, but for this project I used an app called Notion. Normally I find liner note taking apps to be too restrictive for outlining, but I ended up liking this one because it allows you to toggle entire sections of your notes out of view while you work on a different part.
> 
> Point being, this is the first outline I've been able to copy/paste into Google Docs for if anybody wants to see it--whether you're a fellow writer or just curious. [Here it is!](https://docs.google.com/document/d/17xMiJtJ-6aeBYos4PwK_MibXSWGRIq_bNy-cRv6o9lM/edit?usp=sharing) I've also made a blog post about potential future projects, which I linked in a previous chapter.
> 
> I've had a good time hanging out with y'all, I hope you have a good one!^^ Until next time!


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